B5 Plus Limited, a steel company in Tema has been adjudged the Best International Company in Building Materials. Its director the Director, Mr. Mukesh Thakwani has also been named the West African Personality of the Year by the Business Executive Excellence Awards.

The icing on the cake is the TBE Junior Child Development in Ghana Award which was presented to the Delhi Public School International, a holistic state of the art educational facility established as a corporate social responsibility to provide world class training.

The Business Excellence Awards was established in 2014 to celebrate institutions that have demonstrated excellence in conduct, performance and achievements with a significant impact to Ghana’s economic growth.

B5 Plus is a net exporter of premium steel products to several African countries.

With staff strength of over 2000, world class processing plants and finished steel products of the highest standards, the company established in 2002 has drawn plaudits from recognized institutions in Europe and other advanced countries.

22 corporate institutions and 10 individuals including Ecobank, Kasapreko, Ethiopia Airlines, State Insurance Company and Unity Oil among others were also honoured.

Expressing his excitement in an interview, Mr. Mukesh Thakwani dedicated the awards to his staff and noted that hard work, commitment and quality service are the main things that have contributed to the rise of the company.

Mr. Mukesh says his greatest inspiration since childhood was to create jobs for the masses. Even though the company faces challenges, he says various incentives and welfare packages have been a good boost for employees. 

Challenges

Mr. Mukesh is calling on government to tackle various challenges faced by industries in order to boost made in Ghana products to expand the economy.

He is calling for a reduction in taxes and other import duties imposed on raw materials. Citing other international countries where companies are given incentives, he says Ghanaian manufacturers can only compete on the international stage when government intervenes.

“Right now we have a problem with raw material import as we are paying 5% duty rate and 2% special levy. As a company providing employment for people, there should not be any special levy or tax for us to pay on our raw materials. We are competing with companies who are given such advantages at the international level,” he added.

There has been a 30% decrease in production by B5 Plus since the beginning of the load shedding exercise. The industrialist is appealing to government to expedite processes to help save the industry.

Recently, water supply has also been a challenge to Kpone, where the factory is located.

“We are pleading with government to supply better electricity and water because of late we are not getting sufficient supply. Electricity supply for industries should be given a competitive rate for us to be able to have a competitive edge in international markets”

Corporate Social Responsibility

Aside the establishment of DPSI, the company donated GhC10, 000 for the construction of a Police Station at Pone in 2014.

The B5 Plus Care programme has offered medical assistance for numerous residents in Tema . The company provides scholarships to brilliant students and regularly supports other community projects.

Other Achievements

B5 Plus Limited recently received the Best firm in Imports and Exports by the Head of State Awards Scheme (HOSA) – Ghana Business Awards 2015.  They also picked the 2015 Investor Award in West Africa at the West African Magazine Awards.

Others include International Europe Award for Quality and Excellent Service by Globe Trade Leaders' Club, Best Enterprise Award in the field of Steel Industry by the Socrates Committee, UK and European Award for Quality and Excellent Services in 2013.

DPSI won 3 gold trophies and 27 medals at the World Scholar’s Cup recently in Malaysia. The school has won the National Spelling Bee competition for three consecutive years.  

They also received the outstanding school in Ghana award by the World Confederation of Businesses (WORLDCOB) for its holistic education and state-of-the-art infrastructure among others.