The awards ceremony by the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industries (GNCCI) also recognised Mrs Janet Anane, the CEO of Gentle Giants – producers of Vitamilk- as the Chamber Woman of the Year.

The event, which was held on the theme: "Digitising the Ghanaian Economy for Competitive Edge in Globalised Markets" also adjudged Mr Emmanuel Borketey Bortey, the CEO of Charger Limited as the Young Entrepreneur of the Year while awarding his company as the emerging business of the year.

Nana Appiagyei Dankawoso I, the President of the GNCCI, said the awards is a flagship initiative of the Chamber started two years ago with the aim of acknowledging and celebrating businesses and personalities who have demonstrated excellence in business practices.

He said the theme was timely as government has demonstrated commitment to ensuring a competitive business climate and introducing digital systems in the areas of Paperless Port Systems, Automation of Business Operation Permit, Electronic Justice System, Construction Permit, Passport Application and Business Registration.

Nana Dankawoso I said achieving competitiveness is a shared responsibility, which required that the country demonstrated commitment towards building capacities of Small-to-Medium Enterprises to be innovative and responsive to the changing trends in competitive globalised economy.

He said there is the need for businesses to be innovative and digitised, urging them to be more creative in areas such marketing, packaging, branding, delivery technology, cost optimisation, and effective customer care to remain competitive.

He commended government for its position to support the private sector as the frontline actors in leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement to expand production and lead socio-economic transformation.

Nana Dankawoso I said as the Ghanaian economy was being digitised, there is the need to provide opportunities for organisations to improve their cyber security controls, develop appropriate mechanisms to detect any cyber breaches and effective response mechanisms to control and investigate when incidents occur.

He commended all award nominees and winners for participating in the rigorous process, urging the winners to leverage on the goodwill of the Chamber to promote their brands and products.

The President of the Chamber inducted the Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as an Honorary Member of the GNCCI for his role in ensuring the effective participation of the private sector in the economy, describing him as the "Private Sector Foot Soldier".

Vice President Dr Bawumia said government is committed to the digitisation drive of the economy describing it as the path to development in the current world economy and that it helps to generate huge data to guide policy formulation.

At the event,  Barclays Bank of Ghana Limited was honoured as the Bank of the Year; Nyonkopa Cocoa Buying Company Limited was adjudged the Agribusiness Company of the Year; and Petroleum Solutions Limited (Petrosol) was made the Oil and Gas (Upstream and Downstream) Company of the Year.