The Chartered Institute of Marketing, Ghana (CIMG) has organised a conference as a part of its initiatives to strengthen national cohesion and integration for a peaceful 2016 elections.
The event was on the theme: " Democracy and national cohesion: marketing a new paradigm".Speaking on the topic:" Managing political risk in Sub- Saharan Africa", Mr Komi S. Klu, Risk Management Programming Specialist and the Senior Vice President of Emerging Market Investment Group (Emigroup Ghana), said Sub-Saharan Africa is perceived to be a high political risk region.
Political risk is any financial loss caused by the actions or inactions of government which could make an economy unattractive for investors.He said political instability, terrorism, insecurity, fear of government interference and imprudent confiscation of property were the key forces contributing to political risk in the region which scares investors away.
Mr Klu said the risk was fueled by weak institutions, corruption and weak democratic systems.“Impeachment of Presidents and constant changing of ministers make the political landscape unstable.“No investor would invest in countries with political instability", he said.
Dr. Doris Dartey, the Vice Chairperson of the Editors Forum, urged Public Relations (PR), marketing and media practitioners to team up to position Ghana positively in the eye of investors.
“PR, journalism and marketing are twins and they all aim at changing perceptions" she said.
Dr Dartey, who chaired the conference, commended CIMG for championing and spearheading prudent initiatives to help sanitize the political landscape.Mr Kojo Mattah, the President of CIMG said “CIMG believes that peace must exist for us to have the peace of mind to practice our profession.
“We need to push forward the agenda of developing a lasting democracy" he said adding that the Institute was poised to promote good initiatives geared towards strengthening the nation’s democracy.