Some players in the advertising space are asking the Finance Minister to use the Mid-Year review to come up with new policies to protect local firms in the sector.

According to them, their businesses are facing stiff competition from foreign advertising and marketing companies – a situation they believe is shortchanging the country hence the need to enforce local content laws.

Speaking to JoyBusiness, Chief Executive Officer of Origin8, an indigenous Advertising, marketing and PR Company, William Ansah, said the government must do more by awarding local advertisers with contracts.

“What we are looking at is that we don’t want the government to be saying that we want to support local businesses,” he said.

The Origin8 boss said, “we want government to be a doer because if you have great local companies like these who can compete with the champions of the west coming in and you are talking about local content, let it be actually local; get to the ground and see the local companies who need the support so that they can also become giants.”

He added, “If these local companies are being given all the big projects the multinationals have, we can also stand up to them.”   

Mr Ansah spoke to JoyBusiness after the launch of Origin8’s 20th Anniversary.

In his keynote address, Minister for Business Development, Ibrahim Mohammed Awal urged businesses to prioritize social networking to remain relevant on the highly competitive market.

He said, “If you want to succeed as a company beyond 20 years, develop your social capital; it’s important to know that networks keep businesses going; build your network with your community, with your workers, with your clients and with the government.”

“These networks will give you valuable information to succeed in business; it’s very important” Mr Awal added.