Scangroup and Ogilvy announce a joint venture in Ghana

Scanad Ghana Limited and Ogilvy Ghana Limited have been established to take over the existing advertising and promotional business of Media Majique & Research Systems Limited which has traditionally traded as MMRS Ogilvy and Ogilvy Africa Media Ghana Limited (OAM) respectively.

Reginald Laryea, immediate past president of the Advertising Association of Ghana and a marketing communications specialist, has been appointed as chairman of Scanad Ghana and will retain a minority stake in both businesses.

Scangroup's strategy

Bharat Thakrar, CEO of Scangroup in Kenya, said the new partnership was in line with Scangroup's strategy that aims to create a leading pan-African communication network and expand its foothold in the West African market.

"The entry into Ghana increases our footprint and marks another milestone towards our vision of becoming a leading marketing services company in Sub Saharan Africa. This will also enable us to service our pan-African clients better with in-market infrastructure." said Thakrar.

The strategy of pan-African expansion is intended to help Scangroup achieve its long-held ambition to diversify its regional presence and reduce its revenue reliance on Kenya where it gets the bulk of its earnings.

Prospects in Ghana are bright

Commenting on the partnership, Laryea said business prospects in Ghana are bright and would be supported by a strategic partner who will contribute to raising the standard of marketing communication onto the next level. "This partnership with Scangroup and Ogilvy will be beneficial to the industry and our clients," he said.

The launch of Scanad Ghana Limited and Ogilvy Ghana Limited is the latest in a series of joint ventures by Scangroup, which is embracing world-class marketing services in the markets in which it operates in sub-Saharan Africa.

Scangroup has in the past four years completed multi-million-shilling acquisition deals across African market as it sought to boost its presence and earnings. Last year, Scangroup Limited and Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide agreed to create a Pan-African joint venture in order to strengthen a common expansion and growth strategy for sub-Saharan Africa.