Hennie Heymans (Middle) With Kader O. Coulibaly (left) and Randy Buday (right)
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of DHL Express Sub Saharan Africa, Hennie Heymans, says Ghana’s growth opportunities make the country a preferred destination for doing business on the African continent.
He said, “Ghana is one of the fastest growing markets for DHL Express. A recent report has confirmed that it is one of the top five hotspots in terms of goods and services. Although the declining commodity prices have presented some challenges, along with severe electricity challenges, the outlook remains positive for Ghana.”
Mr. Heymans said this while addressing journalists in Accra yesterday after rounding off his tour of the country which saw him offer courier services to local drivers in Accra to get firsthand experience in DHL services in the country.
He announced that DHL Express is embarking on an initiative called ‘Growing Beyond Borders’ to give entrepreneurial training opportunities to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the country to look beyond the borders of Ghana.
He said the initiative, to be launched in the end of the year, has been specifically designed to help SMEs to understand the economic potential of international trade and the subsequent benefits to their businesses.
“We consider SMEs as the engines for growth and our highly trained certified international specialists in Ghana are committed to connecting the SMEs with global opportunities.
“DHL’s own research, conducted with HIS Global Insight, has shown that SMEs who trade internationally are twice as successful as those who trade only within their own market.
He said, “Ghana from a sub-Saharan perspective is very important for us. The economy is diversifying and what our local office keeps achieving consistently give us so much hope.”
Mr. Heymans reiterated that employee engagements are critical to business success, saying “our people are the lifeblood of our organization, and we believe in fostering a continuous learning and development culture.”
He gave the assurance that DHL Express will continue to motivate its employees to enable them to provide and retain loyal customers.
Randy Buday, DHL Express Regional Director for West and Central Africa, said the company’s investment in people, equipment and facilities is to help them to meet the needs of the customers.
He said they were adopting what he called conservative approach to improve their existing infrastructure and work continuously to get people to believe in their brand which is known in over 200 countries.
Kader O. Coulibaly, Country Manager of DHL Express, disclosed that “as the first and largest express logistics company in Africa, we are well-positioned to service the growth of Ghana, ensuring its accessibility and attractiveness on a global scale.”
By William Yaw Owusu