Akila Ghana, a growing Ghanaian premium fashion design and accessories making company specialized in authentic hand-made accessories was adjudged the winner for the year 2017 in the Arts and Craft Category at the just ended 2017 Chamber Business Awards organized by the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the Moevenpick Ambassador Hotel.
The Award is in recognition of Akila’s profound contributions to the Arts and Crafts industry with Hand-made bag production. This year’s award is the second consecutive recognition won by Akila Ghana.
The CEO of Akila Ghana, Ms. Ruth-Maria Assandoh was also adjudged the Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Ms. Ruth-Maria Assandoh is a very creative entrepreneur with a First Class honors in Arts from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). Ms. Assandoh has been a serial speaker on the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), West African Region since its inception, an initiative by President Barrack Obama, among other speaking engagements.
According to the CEO of the Company, Ruth-Maria, the recognition affirms the Akila’s commitment to serving its customers and potential customers with quality products backed with exceptional services. The nature of our business demands high concentration and exceptional details in order to produce one bag. That is the same way we treat our customers with exceptional services and relationship.
As this is the second time Akila has been adjudged the best in Arts and Crafts in the Creative and art category, it is a major booster to us to continue to deliver and even be more creative in the bags we produce.
Talking about entrepreneurship and start-ups in Ghana, the CEO Ruth-Maria encouraged the youth to find the passion and follow it. We all have passion for something that could be profitable if we do it with diligence and be creative about it. I believe that as youth, we must identity that and make value out of it.
According to her, even without a particular passion for something, there are a lot of things around us that the youth could champion and make business out of it. “All you need is to identify a problem and create solutions of value to it. Today we have nicely packaged “kelewele” or “Ayigbe Biscuits” which is being sold and some exported”.
The most important thing is for the youth to be bold and come out of the thinking of searching for blue color job and be artisanal. We the youth are very creative and tech savvy. We must utilize what we know and have to create value.” The CEO also called on the government and major players industry to support to create the right environment for start-ups to learn and grow.
Akila delivers bespoke beaded bags and accessories that truly define the profile and personality of its users and brings out an Afrocentric touch of class and elegance at an affordable class to the middle and upper class in Ghana and has worked with corporate institutions such as Access Bank Ghana & Nigeria, Bank for Africa and Capital Bank Ghana Ltd.
During the Visit of the Queen of Denmark, Margrethe II, a special Akila hand-made bag was made and presented to the queen.
The company, founded out of passion in 2013, has attracted many talented youth who were hitherto deprived of any means of livelihood, becoming part of what can be described as a burgeoning industry. They have been able to make these youth the foundational pillars of their outfit and attracting interest from national and international patrons.
The 2017 Chamber Business Awards is organized by the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI). The Awards was held on the theme “Empowering the Private Sector to Move Ghana Beyond Aid”. The contribution of the GNCCI to the private sector has been enormous.
The chamber believes its shared vision with the government of Ghana requires deliberate and collective change in all aspects of our national lives, specifically in the structure of our economy.
