World news story

Ghanaian agriculture company wins UK’s “Business is GREAT” Award

Ghanaian company wins UK government's international 'Business is GREAT' competition to Liverpool.

Mr. Kadri Lomo, receiving his ceritifcate from Jon Benjamin, British High Commissioner.

The British High Commissioner to Ghana, Jon Benjamin, presented a Ghanaian agriculture company, United Africa Fruit, with a certificate to mark their success in winning a place in the UK government’s international “Business is GREAT” competition. Founder and CEO Mr. Kadri Lomo represented the company at the award ceremony, which took place at the British High Commission in Accra.

The global campaign invited companies looking to source products or services from the UK to register for the UK government’s free export matching service.

Winning companies were selected based on the value of the products and services they were looking to source, and the reasons why they wanted to source from the UK. Their prize was a four-day sponsored trip to the International Festival for Business 2016 in Liverpool, one of the world’s biggest business events delivered in partnership with the UK government’s Department for International Trade (DIT) and the GREAT Britain Campaign. The goal was to facilitate connections and meetings between the winning delegation of international buyers and the best UK suppliers in their sectors.

Mr. Lomo joined eleven other global winners in Liverpool. His Ghanaian agriculture company, United Fruit Africa, is seeking contacts in mobile communications and precision farming in the UK.

Speaking at the award ceremony, British High Commissioner to Ghana, Jon Benjamin said:

I am delighted that a Ghanaian Company United Africa Fruit was among the global winners in this campaign, and that we could facilitate the right connections for them in the UK to help build their business. The UK is open for business. It is the fifth largest economy in the world and was the fastest growing economy in the G7 in 2014, and second fastest in 2015. It is also the highest ranked major economy in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index. I would like to take this opportunity to wish Mr. Lomo the very best of success in expanding his company in the region.

Founder and CEO of the United Africa Fruit Company, Mr. Lomo said:

It was a pleasure liaising with both innovative UK technology and agriculture providers who offer the best in class solutions for both agricultural precision farming techniques and mobile communications. These companies understand the changing nature of agriculture and the need for new innovations and approaches that can increase the profitable nature of agriculture.

It is my hope to use the United Africa Fruit Company as a showcase for our UK partners to prove what can be achieved when innovative technology solutions are applied to smallholder agriculture, and I want to give my sincere gratitude to DIT and the British High Commission for enabling us to do so.

Notes to editors

About the Department for International Trade

  • The Department for International Trade has overall responsibility for promoting UK trade across the world and attracting foreign investment to our shores.
  • We are a specialized body with significant new trade negotiating capacity, taking on the responsibilities of UK Trade & Investment, along with the relevant trade functions of the former Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. We also have oversight of UK Export Finance and UKTI’s Defence and Security Organisation.
  • DIT works to promote UK exports of goods and services, to support a growing economy that creates wealth for all, supports jobs and meets our wider national interests; deliver the best international trading framework for the UK outside the EU, including through building our capacity to negotiate and administer a national trade policy; and maximise opportunities for wealth creation through supporting Foreign Direct Investment, with a renewed focus on outward FDI (overseas direct investment).
Published 3 October 2016