Professor Stephen Adei, Patron of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, Ghana (CIMG), has urged marketing practitioners to help build competitive Ghanaian brands that deliver quality products and services.
Speaking at the 37th CIMG Annual National Marketing Performance Awards in Accra, he said the success of businesses in the era of technology and artificial intelligence (AI) would depend on their ability to create valuable and trustworthy products and services that meet consumers’ needs.
“Technology may change how brands reach consumers, but it does not change the basis of a lasting business relationship: trust. Access to technology alone will not guarantee success. The real opportunity lies in using innovation to create products and services that people need, value and trust,” he said.
Prof. Adei added that customers remained loyal to brands that kept their promises, investors supported credible businesses, and international buyers maintained relationships with suppliers who delivered consistently.
The CIMG Awards recognise brands, organisations, institutions and professionals whose outstanding marketing contributions supported Ghana’s economic growth.
The ceremony, held on Saturday at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra, was on the theme: “Brand Ghana Reimagined: Trust, Innovation and Growth in the AI Economy.”
Prof. Adei said businesses and marketing professionals had a responsibility to promote Ghana’s reputation through quality products, reliable service delivery, business integrity and innovation.
“Every Ghanaian business that delivers quality strengthens our national reputation, and every exporter who honours a contract builds confidence in our country. Poor quality and broken promises undermine it,” he said.
He noted that credibility had become even more valuable in an AI-driven marketplace, where content could be generated at unprecedented speed.
“We must make authenticity, quality assurance and professional integrity the defining features of Ghanaian enterprise,” he added.
Prof. Adei described trust as an economic asset and emphasised the role of marketing in connecting production to demand and communicating the distinctive value of Ghanaian products and services.
He called for stronger collaboration among industry players, professional institutions, educational establishments and government, while urging the CIMG to continue helping businesses recognise marketing as a strategic investment rather than merely a promotional expense.
He commended the CIMG for strengthening professional standards and urged award winners to uphold the values and practices that earned them recognition.
Mr Michael Abbiw, National President of the CIMG, also urged businesses to embrace artificial intelligence while maintaining customer trust to achieve sustainable growth.
“The brands that win the AI economy will be the brands that are believed. Technology gives us speed, not credibility. Credibility is built the old way, by keeping promises, one customer at a time,” he said.
Mr Abbiw stressed that trust and innovation must underpin business growth, warning that prioritising growth without those foundations could undermine long-term value.
“Trust first, innovation second, and growth follows from both. Reverse the order, and you get fast growth that collapses at the first scandal, innovation that frightens the customers it was meant to serve, and growth that creates no lasting value,” he said.
He encouraged businesses and marketers to use AI tools with sound personal and ethical judgement, noting that consumers continued to demand better products and services.
“Adopt AI because it solves problems, creates value and serves customers better, not because it is fashionable,” he said.
He urged CIMG members to enrol in the institute’s short course on AI in Marketing.
Mr Abbiw further called on corporate boards to recognise marketing as a strategic management function and give it a voice at the highest level of decision-making, citing its role in providing insights into customers, markets, competitors and brand reputation.
The ceremony recognised outstanding performance across 55 award categories, with new companies also inducted into the CIMG Hall of Fame.
Madam Abena Amoah, Managing Director of the Ghana Stock Exchange, was named Marketing Woman of the Year, in recognition of her contribution to marketing and leadership in Ghana’s financial sector.
Mr Salem Kalmoni, Managing Director of Japan Motors, was named Marketing Man of the Year for his contribution to marketing and business leadership.
Madam Mavis Frimpong, the Head of Corporate Communications, Marketing and Brands at Consolidated Bank Ghana Limited, received the Marketing Practitioner of the Year award.
Thomasina Tetey, Import Sales Manager at MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, was named Marketing Student of the Year.
The Multimedia Group won four awards, including Media Organisation of the Year (2025), Media News Portal of the Year, Radio Programme of the Year for Drive Time on Joy, and New Media Campaign of the Year for its #NoToGalamsey campaign.
The CIMG is Ghana’s sole chartered authority and professional body mandated to set standards, certify, register and regulate marketing practice in the country.