President of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, Ghana (CIMG), Michael Abbiw, has called for the Brand Ghana agenda to be removed from partisan politics and handled by professionals to ensure continuity and credibility.
According to him, Ghana’s national image should not change with every new government but must be driven by a long-term strategy that transcends political cycles.
“We seem to have an agreement on the Brand Ghana agenda that going forward we don’t look at Brand Ghana as a political activity either from NPP or NDC, but we look at Brand Ghana from the professional perspective,” he said.
Speaking in an interview on Metro TV’s Bottomline on Monday, January 12, 2026, Mr. Abbiw disclosed that discussions are underway for the Chartered Institute of Marketing, Ghana to play a leading role in managing the Brand Ghana agenda, regardless of which political party is in power.
“So Brand Ghana hopefully will now be sitting at CIMG, so that regardless of whichever political party is going to come, we design one agenda and we are able to prosecute that agenda to Brand Ghana out there,” he said.
According to him, a professional approach will help Ghana consistently project itself to investors and the international business community.
Mr Abbiw said marketing must also play a stronger role in supporting government policies, noting that good policies alone are not enough without clear communication and positioning.
“One goes into government, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the person is fully equipped,” he said, adding that there is a need to build capacity across government institutions, including Parliament and political appointees.
Using the proposed 24-hour economy as an example, he said the policy must be properly marketed both locally and internationally.
“We are talking about a 24-hour economy. How do we sell that 24-hour economy, not only to us here as Ghanaians, not only to the private sector who want to invest, but also to the international business environment that would want to bring money into Ghana?” he asked.
Mr Abbiw argued that marketing should be seen as a development tool rather than just a commercial activity.
“We think that marketing has a key role to play,” he said, stressing that effective positioning of national policies can attract investment and support economic growth.
He added that a stable, well-communicated national brand would make Ghana more competitive in the global market and give investors confidence in the country’s direction.
Mr Abbiw said aligning professional marketing with government priorities would help Ghana better tell its story and unlock new opportunities for growth.
