The Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA), in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), has held the 3rd Ghana National Kaizen Awards (GNKA) 2026 under the theme, “Driving Productivity, Innovation and Competitiveness through Kaizen Excellence,” to recognised Ghanaian enterprises that have demonstrated a strong commitment to continuous improvement, operational excellence, productivity and competitiveness.

The event was honoured by the presence of Lawyer Marietta Agyeiwaa Brew, Legal Counsel to H.E. John Dramani Mahama, as Special Guest of Honour, and His Excellency Hiroshi Yoshimoto, Ambassador of Japan to Ghana, alongside representatives of UNIDO, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), development partners and the private sector.

In her welcome address, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Enterprises Agency, Ms. Margaret Ansei, said the Awards were established not only to recognise enterprises that have excelled in their Kaizen journey but also to inspire many more businesses to adopt continuous improvement as an integral part of their operations. She said, “Kaizen reminds us that meaningful transformation comes through small, consistent improvements.”

Ms. Ansei further noted that the 2026 Awards were particularly significant because they serve as Ghana’s official qualifying platform for the African Kaizen Awards, giving national winners the opportunity to demonstrate Ghanaian enterprise excellence at the continental level.

The CEO also outlined GEA’s vision to establish a Kaizen Centre of Excellence that will serve as a national hub for training GEA staff and MSMEs in Kaizen principles and productivity improvement. The proposed Centre is expected to strengthen the delivery of Business Development Services, promote a culture of continuous improvement and contribute to building a more productive, competitive and resilient MSME sector.

Delivering the keynote address, the Special Guest of Honour, Lawyer Marietta Agyeiwaa Brew, described Kaizen as more than a management or production methodology, stressing its relevance to Ghana’s broader economic transformation agenda. She noted, “It is a philosophy of leadership. A philosophy that teaches us that excellence is not achieved through isolated moments of brilliance, but the relentless pursuit of better ways of doing ordinary things.”

She emphasised that Ghana’s ability to compete effectively in regional and global markets would increasingly depend on the productivity and efficiency of its enterprises. She further described productivity as a national development imperative and highlighted the importance of continuous improvement as Ghana pursues industrial transformation, value addition, job creation and increased participation in intra-African trade.

The Special Guest of Honour commended the Ghana Enterprises Agency and its partners for promoting the adoption of Kaizen principles among Ghanaian MSMEs, noting that sustainable competitiveness is built through operational excellence, quality, discipline and continuous improvement.

Joy Springs Fruit Company Limited emerged winner from the final shortlisted companies that included Uni-Jay Company Limited, Yedent Agro Group of Companies and Aspee Pharmaceuticals Limited, in recognition of its demonstrated commitment to continuous improvement and operational excellence. The ceremony also recognised SBP Agro Processing Limited, Daa and Sons Limited, Fairafric Ghana Limited, Praise Export Services Limited and JRV Manufacturing Company Limited for their outstanding performance in implementing U-SPARK, highlighting their efforts to improve business processes, productivity and operational performance.

In a further demonstration of GEA’s commitment to building institutional capacity, some members of the GEA team were certified as Kaizen Experts. The certification is expected to strengthen the Agency’s technical capacity to provide quality Business Development Services and productivity improvement support to MSMEs across the country.

GEA looks forward to seeing Ghana’s national representatives excel at the African Kaizen Awards in Mauritius and remains committed, together with UNIDO and its development and corporate partners, to supporting more Ghanaian enterprises to embrace continuous improvement and build productive, competitive and resilient businesses.