The first-ever national identity summit to carve a more competitive brand and compelling image for Ghana as a preferred investment destination was held in Accra yesterday.

The summit, which brought together participants from business entities, civil society, promotional agencies and political circles, also deliberated on uniting the nation behind shared values and a common vision.

Opening the summit, which was on the theme: "Ghana - In search of a competitive Identity," the Chief of Staff, Mr Henry Martey Newman, observed that Ghana's democracy could be branded as a shining example for the rest of Africa and the world at large.

He said Ghana had made enormous strides in its march towards enhancing democracy in Africa, noting that such an achievement could consequently be branded to place it further up the global ladder.

Mr Newman gave a word of caution that the branding of Ghana must not be seen as a political party initiative, since it required the support of all citizens to make it a success.

"Brand Ghana has to purposefully affect lives with our authentic shared values and there is also the need for all Ghanaians to feel part of the process of realising and shaping Ghana's aspirations and helping to create a stronger sense of national identity and social cohesion," he said.

"Our people's active intellectual and emotional buy-in is critical to continually improve our image of a developing democracy," he added.

Mr Newman observed that the government, civil society groups and businesses must embark on value-driven national debates and acts in order for Ghana's brand to provide direction and impact positively on the whole nation.

The Chief Executive Officer of Brand Ghana, Mr Mathias Akotia, reiterated the importance of branding to the overall development of nations.

According to him, branding required sacrifice from all citizens, stressing, " It is now for government and the citizenry to acknowledge and leverage the influence of public opinion and market forces on the domestic and international theatre".

He indicated that there were now several conditions including the nation's thriving democracy, a growing media, as well as a limited pool of international investors that now made nation branding a necessity.

Mr Akotia described Brand Ghana development "as a proactive and conscious husbandry of the nation's identity with the aim to enhance citizenship behaviours and nationhood internally, and to compete favourably on the global stage".

He announced that there would be 23 syndicate groups to discuss various topics regarding Ghana's branding.

Currently, some countries, especially in Europe and Asia, have succeeded in branding their countries such that key words or features are associated with their countries, giving them a clear recognition internationally.

Countries such as Malaysia and India for instance have succeeded in creating a positive brand for their countries in spite of their internal shortcomings.

The Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Brand Leadership of South Africa, Mr Thebeetsile Ikalafeng, stated that it was important for Ghana to ignore unfavourable prevailing conditions and focus on the positive aspects in its efforts at branding.

"In branding, you ignore those negative situations and carve the image that you wish to promote," he stated.

Brands, he stated, were very important in shaping the nation and renewing the pride of its people.

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