Rlg's Roland Agambire has been voted the Most Influential Ghanaian in 2012. He came tops in the competition which has such personalities as the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II; the Chairman of the Electoral Commission, Dr Kwadwo Afari Gyan; and the Chief Executive Officer of Manet Properties, Mrs Theresa Oppong-Beeko, to emerge winner in the annual awards ceremony. The CEO of Manet, the Chairman of the EC and the Asantehene emerged the second, third and fourth Most Influential persons in 2012 respectively. Ghana's Most Influential (GMI) awards ceremony is an annual event by etv, a member of the Global Media Alliance (GMA), to reward Ghanaians who have distinguished themselves in service to humanity and their communities. This year's event, held in Accra last Friday and graced by some of the nominees and their representatives, was the third of its kind. The winners are often voted for, through text messages from viewers of the television station and graded in order of the votes – text messages they get from the viewing public. It was not stated how many votes Mr Agambire, the Chairman of the AGAMS Group of Companies, got to become the winner. Cardinal Peter Appiah Turkson, the first Ghanaian to become a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, and Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong, the CEO of the Jospong Group of Companies, were voted winners in the 2010 and 2011 editions of the awards respectively. Mr Agambire said after receiving the award, that he was grateful to etv and Ghanaians at large for the honour done him. He challenged Ghanaians not to just recognise and reward entrepreneurship but to patronise their products as it was the sure and best way of rewarding local ingenuity. "You cannot, in one way, recognise someone as a hero and on the other hand not consume what that person produces," he said. He also downplayed concerns that Rlg's Home Office People Environment (HOPE) City Project, an initiative of his mobile phone and computer manufacturing company – Rlg – would not materialise, insisting that the project was a reality. "I'm sure if Tetteh Quarshie (the man who brought cocoa to the country) said today that he was going to grow cocoa in Ghana, we wouldn't have believed him." "It is the same way that people are saying HOPE City will not be a reality but that is not true. HOPE City is going to happen," Mr Agambire said. The HOPE City Project is expected to be a cluster for the company's information communication and technology (ICT) Park, hosting about 25,000 inhabitants and providing jobs for about 50,000 people, according to information on its website. The Chairman of the Silverbird Group in Nigeria, Mr Ben Murray Bruce, who was the chairman of the event, praised Ghanaian ingenuity and urged that it be continued for the betterment of the country and the continent at large. “Regardless of the problems Ghana may have, Ghana is an inspiration to the rest of us in Africa,” he stated. "You provide us hope and what you have will lead Africa," he said. He also advised the economically sound to share their fortunes with the socially and economically disadvantaged, as it was the best way of giving back to community what God had given to them. The recognition of Mr Agambire as the GMI 2012 also coincided with his 39th birthday, and, as such, a birthday cake and bouquet of flowers were presented to him as part of the recognition. Caption: Mr Prosper Kwesi Bani (left), Chief of Staff, presenting the GMI 2012 award to Mr Roland Agambire, Chairman, AGAMS Group. Looking on is Mr Ben Bruce, Chairman, Silverbird Nigeria and chairperson of the awards night.