Association of Ghana Industries Champions Sustainability as Gateway to Global Capital, Markets

The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) has charged businesses in the country to embrace sustainability as a strategic tool for growth, competitiveness and access to international markets rather than as a regulatory obligation.

President of AGI, Dr. Kofi Nsiah-Poku, gave the charge on the sidelines of the launch of the Sustainable African Value-Chain Initiative (SAVI) in partnership with the Confederation of Danish Industry (DI).

SAVI is a programme aimed at helping companies to strengthen environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards.

What AGI Is Saying

Dr. Nsiah-Poku said sustainability has become a defining factor for business resilience and long-term success and businesses in Ghana should not be left behind.

“The world is changing. Ghana also is part of climate change and we need to prepare. Especially industries, now you have to do environmental, social and governance compliance,” he stated.

He noted that ESG standards are increasingly becoming a prerequisite for participation in global trade, particularly for companies targeting export markets.

“If you want to export a product abroad, sometimes they want to make sure, are you creating something that is not environmentally correct? If you are not compliant, then your products will not be acceptable,” he said.

Global supply chains are becoming more stringent, he said, with international buyers extending compliance checks beyond finished products to include sourcing and production processes.

“Sometimes even the raw materials you are using, they want to ensure that that supplier is also compliant,” he said.

Dr. Nsiah-Poku highlighted areas that require urgent attention, pointing to operational practices within some industries, such as unsustainable energy use, waste generation, and inefficient resource management.

He argued that sustainability must become part of both industrial and everyday decision-making, citing Ghana’s recurring flooding an example.

“We are not doing our best, and therefore we need to improve… in our homes and in our factories, so that we can be compliant and reduce the flooding that is going on,” he said.

He added that AGI and its Danish partners have been engaging on the initiative for two years and have now signed a three-year agreement to train companies across the country.

Denmark’s Long-term Commitment

The Danish Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Jakob Linulf, described SAVI as a reflection of his country’s commitment to building strong and mutually beneficial partnerships with African countries.

He said the initiative aligns with Denmark’s Africa Strategy and would create opportunities for stronger business linkages between Ghanaian and Danish companies while promoting sustainable production and trade.