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19.12.2014 Opinion

Groupe Nduom Celebrates Twenty Years Of Coconut Grove Hotels

By Daily Guide
Groupe Nduom Celebrates Twenty Years Of Coconut Grove Hotels
19.12.2014 LISTEN

“Your life is not simply about career and ambition, but making your country a better one”

–Justice Albie Sachs, a former Constitutional Court judge and crucial figure in South Africa's struggle to end white-minority rule.

Ghana has produced many prominent entrepreneurs whose businesses collapsed once they themselves died. The list is unacceptably long and chilling. It cuts across persons from different ethnic groups and with diverse educational backgrounds and religious beliefs. The root cause of this is the failure of indigenous entrepreneurs to manage the transition from entrepreneurship to management. Another reason is that local entrepreneurs have often taken success as an end in itself without the belief that life is not simply about career, ambition, money and support to the inner family but more importantly, making your community, your society and your country a better one. What this means is that even though Ghana has produced many successful indigenous entrepreneurs, the number of managers this country can boast of and has produced is so sickeningly minimal, it stands out like a sore thumb.

Currently there is a Ghanaian entrepreneur making the waves and proving the fact that it might be a myth to accept the fact that all local entrepreneurs are complete flops when it comes to the sustenance of their businesses beyond the death of the prime mover and imbuing going concern concept into their business practices. Nowhere in this country is this concept given meaning than within the business conglomerate called Groupe Nduom (GN). Groupe Nduom started as single unit business establishment, Coconut Grove Beach Resort in Elmina twenty years ago by Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom family. Today Coconut Grove Hotel is a complex of four hotels located in Elmina, Accra and Obuasi. In addition, new companies have been brought on board to constitute the business conglomerate called Groupe Nduom. Groupe Nduom today comprises over eighteen companies spanning the hospitality industry, print and electronic media, banking, development finance, investment and security, pension trust, quarry, research, industrial estate, industrial park and many more .located in Ghana, Togo, La Cote d'Ivoire and the United States.

Groupe Nduom has not only brought wealth to its owners, the Nduom family but also wealth and livelihood to over 3,600 employees and the communities the companies are located, especially, Elmina, the home town of the Nduom family. Groupe Nduom is also contributing to the growth and development of the country through prompt and regular payment of taxes and SSNIT contributions as well as offering employment to the people and selecting independent minded competent persons to serve in management positions and as directors. Today Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom and members of his family can leave the shores of this country for long periods of time and still be assured that they would come back to find that the precious investment they have made is sound and secured because there are competent, dedicated, honest and well-motivated management, directors and members of staff in charge of affairs. This is clearly an innovation in indigenous business culture very rare in our society where founders/proprietors hold on to the management of their enterprises with iron fists, suffocating any innovations.

Last week Groupe Nduom celebrated the 20 years anniversary of the grandfather of the group, Coconut Grove Beach Resort, Elmina. Coconut Beach Resort opened its doors for the first time in December 14, 1994 with six employees, 12 rooms with Mrs. Yvonne Nduom as the cock when it welcomed its first clients, Ghana Telecom. Today, Coconut Grove Hotels Ltd. employs 350 persons, with over 120 rooms within the group while Groupe Nduom has about 3,600 employees on its payroll. The 20 years celebration started at the Banquette Hall of Coconut Grove Regency Hotel, Accra with a round table conference of all the directors of the Group Nduom.

During the round table conference members of the board of directors were led through the philosophy, the culture, the values, the important part of the DNA of the group, the beliefs, the thoughts and what it means to be a part of Groupe Nduom, the synergy within the group  among others. The conference also dealt with what the group expects from its directors and the goals of the group for 2015. Members were also taken through the employment recruitment process and management practices of the group. The driving force of the group is taken from the Holy Bible passages of 2 Timothy 1:7 - 'For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline' and Jeremiah 29:11 - ' 'For I know the plans I have for you', declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future''.

The theme of the conference was: 'We serve our customers with enthusiasm, innovation and discipline and for the company, we serve with loyalty'. The core values of the group were stated as: 'Earn and maintain a reputation of high ethics and integrity, make sound business investments, take a long term view of success, share success with employees, community and shareholders'. Groupe Nduom has been operating behind the scene making as little noise as possible so far. Now the gropu  intends to go out to the public and make noise. This is based on the thoughts of the founder who believes: 'Start small, re-invest, grow stronger then make noise'.

Apart from the board of directors' conference, other activities organized in commemoration of the 20 years anniversary of the hotel group comprised football match competition within the group, a spelling 'B' and essay completion for junior schools within the Elmina community for which deserving winners were given handsome prizes. A grand durbar of shareholders, directors, management, members of staff, clients and members of the Elmina community including the paramount chief of Elmina traditional area was held at Elmina to be crowned with a thanksgiving service also at Elmina. During the durbar, the guests listened to reminiscences and genesis of the hotel group from Dr. Kwesi Nduom, Group President, Mrs. Yvonne Nduom, the Executive Chairman of the hotel group, Mr. Ralph Ayittey, the General Manager of Coconut Grove Regency Hotel, Accra, and Mr. Victor Opoku Minta, the General Manager of Coconut Grove Beach Hotel. Elmina.

Long service awards were presented to some staff members who have served the hotel between 15 years and 19 years. A lady employee who had served the hotel for 19 years and won one of the lottery prizes on offer for a trip to Brazil to watch the recent FIFA world Cup in Brazil organized by the hotel group gave an emotional speech in Fante which infected everybody present. The Winneba Youth Choir graced the occasion with their usual melodious songs which forced many of those present led by Dr. Kwesi Nduom to dance. At one stage, the occasion brought tears to the eyes of Dr. Kwesi Nduom. The durbar ended with a sumptuous lunch which showcased the success of the cuisine of the hotel group. From independent observations, the hotel group will continue to prosper and live on drawing on the collective success of Groupe Nduom.

However, it has not been all that rosy for the hotel group. The hotel group has suffered its share failure of the government to provide motorable roads leading to tourist installations in this country. The road leading to the Hotel in Elmina is in a bad shape to such an extent that the hotel had to access loans to repair the last stretch of the road entering the hotel premises. The failure of either the central government or the district assembly to repair the tiny bridge which acts as the main access point to the Elmina Castle and therefore depriving the hotel of a route through Elmina town sounds more like a sabotage to the spirit of entrepreneurship in this country and complete lack of understanding and appreciation of tourism and the wealth of the Elmina Castle to the tourism industry. . The hotel in Accra spends so much of its limited resources on delivery of water from private water tankers because of the lack of constant supply of pipe borne water.  While the quality of the water tank delivered water cannot be guaranteed, it has to be purified at additional before it can be used to wash the hotel linens. The hotel has also to rely on a bore hotel to get water to flush the toilet system. Constant electricity supply is a taboo topic.

It is quite obvious that despite the huge taxes the government collects from the citizens and industry, little trickles down as service to the people. Nowhere is this so obvious as in the hotel business. However despite these factors, Coconut Grove Hotels Ltd can only continue to make strides where clients will always recite: 'MEMORIES WORTH REPEATING'.

By Kwame Gyasi

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