Kofi Yansah - Yansah and Associates Media and Communications - 7/4/00

I met KY at his office in Achiamota (sp?)  the office is located in the back of a local bar/restaurant/hotel called JB's Café.  The hotel is on the main road but was not known by my driver or the other drivers at the hotel or by a worker we stopped on the street for directions.  Near the office, we asked a pair of young men for directions to Yansah and associates offices and they conferred together and referred to "The Minister".  The office itself is very unassuming.  The office is to the rear of JBs and not visible at all from the street.  There are signs leading to the upstairs.  The main office consisted of a very small waiting area (maybe 12X12) as a reception to KY's office.

KY began by describing to me his recent trip to USF in Tampa on a fact finding/ outreach mission to establish linkages with US communication and journalism departments.  The trip lasted for two weeks with the goal of "building institutions" for the study of journalism and communication in Ghana.  

KY described his business as focused on consulting and "driven by technology and communications"  as the driving forces of business in Africa and elsewhere.  KY said his business was to help Ghana companies build good corporate images and position themselves effectively in the market.  Activities include training seminars and public relations assessments and campaigns as well as establishing media relations, media buying etc.  KY assoc. research public relations needs and training needs and provides the appropriate programs.  KY gave as a recent important example a training session held for Ghana Post on 7/3/00.  he described his job as trying to convince GP management of a need for a coherent positioning strategy given the increased levels of competition in the form of Fedex and DHL.  "They think they have a monopoly" he said.  He went on to say that the GP managers think that 65% of the market is a good position "but what they fail to rtealize is that their 65% should be 85%".  He remarked that private companies would continue to take share away from them if they maintained the same attitudes.  He talked in general about what he called the 'sluggish" mentality toward advertising, promotion and PR among Ghana businesses and parastatals in particular.