Prof. K. B. Omane-Antwi’s acceptance speech at the Inauguration of Graphic Board

Ladies and Gentlemen, good morning!

May I first of all, thank the National Media Commission and by extension His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Ghana for appointing me as the Chairman of this great organization. I am not unconscious of the duties and tasks ahead and the honour you have bestowed upon me.

My friends and colleagues, it is an honour to be your chief servant and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve you as your chairman during the next two years. As a Board, we are mindful of the importance of the office of Board of Directors and the Graphic Communications Group. We will endeavor to represent stakeholders with the utmost transparency and boldness.

I have observed Graphic Communications Group from afar and I can positively say that as a media group you have helped to shape the future of Ghana. You have kept the organization ‘forward moving’ displaying excellence in action as well as power of commitment that exemplifies passion and purpose to succeed.

Success is not a destination but rather a journey. The path changes constantly and so we cannot remain in one place. What is said to be a success today, may not be seen or described as such next week or next year hence, we have to continue to benchmark and challenge ourselves to be just good everyday – there is no resting on our laurels.

In this connection, we have to continue to consistently produce winning strategies and the secret is simply to follow the three secrets in organisational success:

• Build a cohesive team
• Involve everybody and
• Invoke a higher cause

Talking about a higher cause, we have to examine our strategic direction in this technological revolution era. We will need a big cultural shift, which will involve structural change so as to reshape Graphic Communication Group for the digital age. The digital age offers new avenues and platforms for the richer delivery and sharing of information. The media business is moving from a news business to a networked business.

Today, we need to be prepared to serve the digital platform first and newspaper second. That is the speed of change. Change has come and change is inevitable. It will not be an easy change or transition but we are obliged to take the difficult steps to secure our leadership position in the print media. Graphic Communication Group must move forward. It would be reckless to stand still. Of course, we must stick to the tested practices of good journalism; deep and original reporting based on multiple sources and a sharp eye for the scoop. That is the hallmark of Graphic Communication Group, which we must maintain going forward.

Truly, there is work to do and it starts today. We will guide top management to achieve the aims and goals of the organization in the following key areas:

• Leadership – help motivate and energize the organization and its culture by reinforcing its vision, mission and values.
• Strategy – shape the strategic thinking of the organization to ensure that it understands the brand promise to customers in this digital age and also develop allied business models. We will keep an eye on our core business i.e. print media. However, there will be the need to diversify and create other business models for higher and different streams of revenue generation.
• People Management – help to put the right people in the right jobs and create a stream of appropriate people for succession to support growth goals.
• Operating Metrics – set realistic financial goals that ensure sales, profits, productivity, asset utilization, quality and customer satisfaction are moving in the right direction.
• Relationship with external constituencies – we will focus on engagement through interaction with our customers, suppliers, employees and other stakeholders to ensure that Graphic Communication Group is social and truly a trusted partner.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this Board will seek continuous innovation and help build business models and operations that will deliver results – achieving Graphic Communications’ vision through the provision of high quality context and services that will ensure the GCGL is valued by the community as Ghana’s most trusted and creative media organization.

What we need as a board, is the involvement of management and staff in our avowed resolve to farther enhance the transformation of the Graphic Communication Group.

My dear friends, colleagues, management and staff, let us embrace the change agenda and enjoy farther success in the history of this organization. It is said that, we need courage and confidence to begin; the passion and persistence to continue but it is the talent and tenacity that will finish the race. Again, it is the roads you choose, the meetings you make, the mountains you move and the example you set that matters. It is all these things, and more, that comprise success.

I bring on board the following six goals to support the business development agenda of Graphic Communications Group Limited:

• Audience focused
• High quality work
• Innovative/creative thinking
• Value based education
• Responsible work ethics
• The 4 ‘Es’ – Efficiency, Effectiveness, Economy and Equity

Join the new Board in crafting a success story in the next two years. I am asking that each of you embody a remarkable “can do” attitude as we plant the flag that announces to Ghana that there is a new board at Graphic Communication Group, and together with management and staff, we are crafting a history full of success that surely will determine our future. Graphic Communication Group is destined to be Crown Jewels in the media landscape in Ghana forever and ever. That is a prophecy from me and I call it done in Jesus Name. Amen!

Thank you for listening to me.

This was a speech delivered by Professor Kwame Boasiako Omane-Antwi, the incoming Board Chairman at the inauguration of nine-member Board of Directors for the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) on 23^rd January 2015. The Board was charged to ensure prudent financial management and guarantee the sustainability of the company.

Professor Kwame Boasiako Omane-Antwi is the President, Institute Of Chartered Accountants, Ghana and the Vice Rector and Dean of Graduate School

Pentecost University College. He was previously the Board Chairman of Ghanaian Times, another State Owned Newspaper before joining the Graphic Board.

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