Unilever on growth path

Story: Maxwell Adombila Akalaare

The Managing Director of Unilever Ghana Limited Mr David Mureithi has disclosed that the company’s turnover for the period ending November 2010 stood at £75.5million (GH¢149,704,000.00) and described 2010 as “a lot better than 2009”.
“For us at Unilever Ghana, this year has been a lot better than 2009. Our year-to November turnover stands at £75.5m with an underlying growth rate of 17.3 per cent compared to same last year” he said.
The present growth rate he said “is a starting point of a growth agenda aimed at doubling the size of the our business in hard currency terms to £150 million by 2015”
Mr Mureithi made the remarks during the annual end of year Unilever Ghana\GJA press soiree held at the Press Centre in Accra.
The event is an initiative by the multi national company to bring members of the GJA together to interact with themselves and the management of Unilever at the end of every year.
The Managing Director further disclosed that the company has resolve from January next year headquarters all its West African operations excluding Nigeria at its Tema office.
Mr Mureithi said the company was pleased that despite the huge socio-economic challenges for industry in the world over the company has seen tremendous improvements in growth this year over last year.
He was optimistic that the current growth rate would propel the company to achieve its overall growth target adding that "we aim at doubling our business before 2015".
Mr Mureithi therefore welcomed plans by government to stimulate the growth of the economy in the coming year as contained in the 2011 Budget and Fiscal Policy Statement.
The Managing Director also urged the government to withdraw the Environmental Tax proposed by the Minister of Finance and Economic Planing in the budget since it help increase the cost of doing business.
"We fully share the government's position in reducing plastic waste substance in the country but however, think that the tax will only help increase the cost of doing of business in the country", he stated
"We would add our voice to that of AGI in urging the government to withdraw this tax and find better ways of managing plastic waste substance including recycling", he said
The president of the GJA Mr Ransford Tetteh thanked Unilever Ghana for supporting the association during its 2008 awards.
He also called on corporate Ghana to support the media to make the country more democratic "for if the country is democratic enough a conducive environment will be created for business to thrive".
He called on journalists to be circumspect in their reportage. "We cannot control what people say but we can safeguard what we put out there for the public" Mr Tetteh said.