It is with a deep sorrow that we inform you that the President of the Advertising Association of Ghana (AAG), Mr. Torgbor Mensah, passed away suddenly on Saturday, October 23, 2021. The late Torgbor Mensah, affectionately called Mr. Tee by many who knew him, was the quintessential “self-made man”, rising by a dint of hard work from a Graphic Designer to become by all standards the Doyen of the Advertising Industry in Ghana and indeed Africa.

Torgbor Mensah, an embodiment of commerce, creativity and communication, was first elected as the President of the Advertising Association of Ghana in 2018 and was subsequently re-elected in 2020 to serve a second term, a position he held until his sudden demise. He was also the President of the Ghana Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) and in October 2020, he was appointed its Vice President, Corporate Member Development, Africa. In April 2021, he was selected as a Juror for the 2021 Cannes Lions Awards in the Outdoor Category in France.

A Book of Condolence has been opened at the AAG Secretariat, Obenesu Street, Asylum Down, Accra (GPS Address GA-027-7528), from 10am to 2pm each day. Arrangements for his funeral will be announced in due course.

17th of September 2021: The Advertising Association of Ghana represented by the Executive Director, Mr. Francis Dadzie at the Okaikwei Municipal Assembly’s stakeholders meeting on the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development’s (MLGRD) 2021 National fee fixing schedule pertaining to the assembly’s bill & rates budgeting for outdoor advertisements. The Association as represented by the Executive Director, Mr. Francis Dadzie was welcomed by Mrs. Cecilia Ofori-Asante, the Municipal Analyst on behalf of the delegation from the assembly. In welcoming the AAG, Mrs. Cecilia Ofori-Asante expressed her appreciation of the AAG’s presence at the meeting and also its comprehensive support of expertise rendered the assembly at all times.

Addressing the meeting, Mrs. Cecilia told AAG of the 9% increments in the Advertising Permits effective 1st January 2021, and the requisite need for the decision as well. She said, the assembly has to raise revenue for its developmental projects and hence the basis for the said increments. Mr. Francis Dadzie on his turn lauded the assembly for making the assembly a safe place for the outdoor advertising business over the years, but recanted their move for the said increments even though the outlined reasons for such initiative a good one. He said, that, at the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development’s (MLGRD) National workshop for the fee fixing schedule held at the Alisa hotel on 18th August 2021; that, he, Mr. Francis Dadzie had raised concerns and complaints to halt the increments proposal with regards to the advertising industry because of the decline in businesses due to the COVID-19 and other socio-economic related instances. He recounted that the petition was acknowledged and considered leading to the stall of the new rates and continuity in the old fees and rates usage. In his ending statements, Mr. Dadzie also submitted to the assembly a report the AAG had done pertaining to the proper conducting and legal practice of the outdoor advertising business according to the GSA GS 847:2019 2nd Edition on OUTDOOR ADVERTISEMENT REGULATIONS.

The report pointed out few irregularities such as mounting of signs in the median way of roads, the unlawful usage of road gantries/arches for advertisements, and malfeasance use of the lamp poles for advertising as well. The report citing the regulations from the GSA and the ROAD AND TRAFFIC REGULATIONS ACT L.I 2180 made recommendations and also sanctions outlined for disrespect of its enforcement.

Mrs. Cecilia admonished the AAG for its great work and promised to keep the assembly abreast with the regulations as she received the report from Mr. Dadzie on the assembly’s behalf.

May 11, 20210

… offenders to be prosecuted  

The Advertising Association of Ghana (AAG) has begun a new fight against the indiscriminate mounting of billboards in the various regional capitals; a development that it says does not only threaten public safety but also the beautification of the capital cities.

From Greater Accra, the AAG, in partnership with the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), has announced a two-week ultimatum for all indiscriminately mounted billboards in the capital city to be removed or owners would be prosecuted.

The association has gone round and pasted stickers on some billboards which have been indiscriminately mounted, calling on the owners to remove them immediately or else a task force that has been set up would forcefully remove them and prosecute persons who would re-mount.

Speaking to B&FT on the sidelines of a press conference to announce the new move, the Executive Director of the Association, Francis Dadzie said the association would ensure that this is the last time the nation would murmur over cluttered, unauthorized and indiscriminate mounting of billboards as there are clear laws to deal with the menace.

This campaign is not for the minister, it ultimately seeks to achieve the President’s vision of making Accra one of the cleanest cities in the world and we at the AAG are ready to support this campaign with our intellect and might,” Mr. Dadzie said.

He mentioned that a centralized system for the awarding of billboard permit is being put together to ensure a coordinated approach in the siting of billboards. “A centralized licensing system is being created to ensure that all billboards get to go through a channel that is predictable and can be monitored.

“Over the years we have tried and not been very successful. One thing we lacked was the will from the executive but now more than ever the will is here. Under the leadership of the Regional Minister, Henry Quartey and with ‘Let’s Make Greater Accra Work’ campaign, we believe that we can rid indiscrete billboards off the streets.

This is for the national interest; this is to ensure that we do not go back to the bad days. As the regulatory body for members within the advertising industry, we are keen on ensuring sanity and safety for consumers of out of home advertising.”

Donated billboards

Meanwhile, the AAG has donated several billboards, mounted at strategic locations in the capital to support the minister’s campaign.

“We are confident about this campaign and therefore we have devoted some resources to ensure that it is successful. We have mounted some billboards at the entrance of the city and at vantage points to draw the attention of everyone. We have also produced a voice and TV commercial to go alongside the campaign,” Mr. Dadzie said.

Law

According to Mr. Dadzie, the work of the task force was part of efforts at implementing Regulation 188 of the Road Traffic Regulations which, among other requirements provide that an outdoor advertising sign placed on a road or the related facility shall be placed in a manner that it does not interfere or obscure a traffic sign, device, or signal to render the use of the road or facility unsafe to a motorist.

SOURCE: By Osei Owusu AMANKWAAH (owusu-amankwaah@thebftonline.com)

Monday 26th April, 2021

For Immediate Release,

The Advertising Association of Ghana is pleased to announce the nomination of Mr. Torgbor Mensah as an Outdoor Lions Shortlist Juror at the 2021 Cannes Lions Awards – Cannes Lions Live from June 21 to June 25, 2021.

Mr. Torgbor Mensah’s nomination comes at an opportune moment where the world has just experienced a period of rapid transformation, economically, societally, and logistically with a shift in the way we live, work and think, and with Africa at the helms of affairs in dealing with this shift.

Mr. Torgbor Mensah is a graphic designer by profession and an entrepreneur with over 35 years’ experience in the advertising industry. He is the Executive Chairman of the Great Argon Holdings, the largest integrated marketing communications group in Ghana and which DDP Outdoor Limited is a subsidiary. He is the President of the Advertising Association of Ghana and Chairman of the Ghana Chapter of the International Advertising Association. His leadership within the advertising industry has won him numerous accolades and recognition.

He joins a line-up of global experts from across the world and represent global industry’s leading from the broadest spectrum of disciplines selected to award the world’s very best creative work and benchmark excellence. This year’s Lion’s juries see the highest ever representation from global brands, global networks, platforms and entertainment companies including: Nike Inc, Levi Strauss & Co, Diageo, IKEA, Uber, KFC, Nestle, Twitter, Facebook, Netflix, Youtube, Ogilvy, McCann, Dentsu, etc.

The Cannes Lions International Festival of creativity is a global event for industry players within the creative communications, advertising and its related fields. It is considered the largest gathering of the advertising and creative communications. The five-day festival incorporating the lions awards is held yearly with over 15,000 registered delegates from 90 countries gathering to celebrate the best of creativity in brand communication, discuss industry issues, and network with one another.

Francis Dadzie
Executive Director

The exercise is to make lawfully placed advertising boards more visible and to ensure sanity along the streets.

The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mr Henry Quartey, made this known last Wednesday when the association presented to him a 2018 audit report on billboards in Accra.

The report touched on the influx of unauthorised billboards scattered across streets in Accra, and considered to be endangering lives and creating clutter.

According to the AMA bye-laws on billboard advertisement, “Signs which are located in such a manner as to obscure or otherwise physically interfere with the effectiveness of an official traffic sign, signal or obstruct or physically interfere with drivers’ view of approaching, merging or intersecting traffic are prohibited”.

It states further that “billboards that have become dilapidated or expired with time shall either be replaced or removed by the owner thereof”.

However, these aspects of the AMA bye-laws have been ignored by advertisers due to high demand for brand and brand-promotion in the city.

The Executive Director of the AAG, Mr Francis Dadzie, indicated that the situation had rendered the streets unsafe for both drivers and pedestrians.

He said it had, therefore, become imperative that the laws were implemented to ensure discipline and sanity on the streets.

In that regard, Mr Dadzie said, aside the provision of technical know-how, the association would also support the RCC with the necessary logistics to help in the operation to get rid of all authorised billboards in the region.

“We want to support the minister to make sure that billboards which have become a nuisance in Accra become a thing of the past. We are ready to work with you and provide all the logistics and the technical know-how to make sure we clear all unauthorised billboards from the streets,” he stated.

The regional minister commended the association for the report, indicating that getting rid of unauthorised billboards was one of the objectives in the “Let’s Make Accra Work” agenda.

He gave support for the implementation of the law by pulling down poorly maintained and unauthorised billboards along streets in the region.

Before that Mr Quartey had tasked the association to present a data of all advertisers in good standing so that the exercise would not seem like a witch-hunt.

The Advertising Association of Ghana (AAG) has called for fresh ideas and a new communication strategy to effectively get the message across to the public, in order to curb the new wave of COVID-19 infections currently sweeping across the country.

The association has described as “unfortunate” the “generic communication style” adopted by the two foremost government institutions in the fight against COVID-19 – the Ministries of Health (MOH) and Information (MOI) – and believe existing strategies contribute to the rising cases, as the messages are not getting to the people.

Executive Director of the AAG, Francis Dadzie, noted that the nation could have achieved better results which would have led to a high level of compliance if it had roped-in the private sector to research all target groups – and devised specific messages for each that would push for action and ensure a sustained break in spread of the virus.

The AAG, he added, is also amazed at how in some instances the COVID-19 safety and prevention protocols prepared by government are jammed on posters, making it difficult to comprehend easily. It believes that this is a major reason the nation is currently battling another wave of infection, which has been noted to be deadlier than the first two waves experienced last year.

“I blame the Ministry of Health for the kind of communication they put out there. We have been in this country even from General Kutu Acheampong’s time – when government was changing from left to right and all that; you use private sector advertisement marketing communications companies which have the research and minds of the consumers to develop the communication strategies needed for change.

“When it comes to COVID-19, which is the greatest of all these things, then you silence all these people and throw out communication that is generic. The human mind and/or audience have become sophisticated, and there are different living standard measurements that they fall within. You cannot create a generic message and think that it will affect everyone. If you do so, it will be difficult to convince those who believe the virus does not even exist.

“We should have gone down to do a level of research among the market women, drivers, people out in the villages, to get some baseline data on their thinking; and then you strategise the communication that will suit them,” he said.

It has become abundantly clear from the economic indices that a lockdown by government would be cutting its own throat – and those of Ghanaians – considering the dire implications for the economy. Many have advised government to push a lot of effort into sensitisation to engender compliance with the COVID-19 protocols, as it is one of the best means to cut the fast rate of infection being recorded in the third wave – which has seen all 16 regions record active cases.

But even before a decision is taken on this, the Advertising Association of Ghana (AAG) is advising government to set up a comprehensive committee, comprising the public and private sector, to deal with the matter of communication all over again.

“We are just appealing to government; they have done well, but it seems complacency and laxity have set in. We think that everyone’s involvement is needed: private communication and advertisement agencies should be engaged to help strategise communication.

“We have already drafted something and sent it to the Information Ministry as a sign of goodwill in helping the state deal with COVID-19. Communication is one of the biggest and cheapest forums we have currently, and we can use it effectively to change the attitudes of people. We have to get everyone on board and get it right this time.”

Source: The Business and Financial Times

The Advertising Association of Ghana (AAG) has expressed worry at the continuous delay in passing the advertising bill into law, saying, the sector is at the brink of a takeover from advertising giants on the continent with the coming into effect of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The Executive Director of the Association, Francis Dadzie stated in an interview with the B&FT said that AfCFTA has liberalized the sector and given players on the continent the opportunity to do business in each other’s country which is a good move; but he noted that, even though they are not against competition from colleagues on the continent, there should be some guidelines to protect local investments just as it prevails in many other countries.

“We fear that with the financial standing of especially players in the Nigerian market, they can easily take over the Ghanaian market; but it is not same when you want to go to Nigeria, they have laws and a council in place that regulates the sector, Ghana is yet to get one, that is why we see it as an urgent task for the nation to push the advertising bill to become law. We are obliged to protect the investment of locals in the sector. We need to act fast or else many players in the local sector will lose their business to African giants. It means we will lose out of creating global advertising companies from Ghana” Mr. Dadzie said.

According to the association, the bill, which has been on the tables for about a decade, when passed into law, will give powers for the establishment of an advertising council which will regulate all players in the sector and protect local investment just as exists in other African states such as Nigeria which hosts some of the biggest advertising firms on the continent.

The AAG is therefore pushing to ensure that the advertising council bill becomes law soon, to ensure that the sector operates with best international practices by properly regulating the activities of the sector.

“We are looking at this bill as a consumer protection bill and also a way to protect local investments in the sector. There are a number of things that some advertisers get away with, the haphazard citing of some billboards, the quality standards needed before erecting a billboard at what location, penalties and compensation regimes in instances where a billboard causes an accident etc. This bill will help to streamline all these,” he said.

The Association is hopeful that the bill which is currently available to the Ministry of Trade and Industry will be passed during the life of the 8^th Parliament of the 4^th Republic.

“This would be a legacy for the Minister of Trade designate, Alan Kyeremanten and we know it is very important to him.

He is also a champion of the AfCFTA so he knows and understands firsthand the concern we are raising. We would also arrange and engage with the parliamentary select committee on trade to make them understand the urgency of our advocacy” Mr. Dadzie said.

Source: The Business and Financial Times