The success story of Ghanacoop in Italy

There is a fine line between what we have today and what we hope to achieve in the future. That’s the decision and choice we make and how we are able to live up to that. In order words, decision and choice is between success and failure.

The story of a Ghanaians Association in the Italian city of Modena which has been turned into a business organisation (Ghanacoop) and now being run with success is an example of a decision and choice we can emulate. Ghanacoop is into business importing Ghana fresh fruits - pineapple, mango, pawpaw, coconut among others - to Italy whilst exporting Italian wine and pasta to Ghana. It goes further than that and they are helping out some village communities in Ghana with social amenities such as water and electricity.

I have lived for a length of time in Italy to know what it is trying to achieve an aim as a foreign national in the country. To cut a long story short, it’s not for the faint hearted. That’s why I commend the President of Ghanacoop, Thomas McCarthy, and his group of Ghanaians who have to some extent carried Ghana’s name high abroad in their sector of business in Italy shrugging aside everything that seems an obstacle and worked hard towards an intended goal.

To break through the Italian culture of bureaucracy, ambiguous (sometimes absurd) immigrants’ laws and a not too comfortable system of ‘bring this’, submit that’ and ‘return with these documents’ is not an easy thing to deal with especially when one is on course trying to progress or set up a business. And that shows the level of commitments and hard work Ghanacoop put into their efforts. They felt that they are capable of achieving something more than being employed as factory hands or domestic workers, a situation that most immigrants find themselves in the country. In Italy you have to knock and knock harder, they will frustrate you and put impediments in your way but persistently chasing a desired goal can bring a positive result and that’s what this group of Ghanaians did.

Ghanacoop has shown the way and the door having made a profit of €1million (one million euros) last year expecting to reach their target of €5million (five million euros) this year and getting the big gurus at the banks and co-operative bodies behind them they are likely to achieve more. At one time its President, made this remark: “I don’t like begging, I present to you a project, tell you what I can provide and together with what you have we can form a partnership so we work together.” Some kind of food for thought, really, for those who prefer to walk on the corridors of organisations, cup in hand, begging for aid.

They have come a long way, confronted by difficulties but they overcame the storm and pushed harder. Today they are watching their efforts grow into something which is helping not only themselves but groups of people both in Ghana and Italy.

I have always admired the hardworking ability and commitment of the Ghanaian abroad. Some few ‘nuts’ have given them a bad rap being associated with mal-practices but having said that the Ghanaian abroad is more focused, is more concerned about how to work for money and achieve something for him/herself and for the family back home in Ghana. To achieve that in a territory like Italy you need an added width in your endeavours.

There are many Ghanaians in Italy being frustrated by the system and laws on immigrants, some have relocated elsewhere but for you to change a system you have to get involve and that’s what Ghanacoop has done. It goes to prove migrants are an important resource for the social and economic development of their host and countries of origin and given the same opportunities they can equally work hard to achieve positive results. Kudos to Thomas McCarthy and his able men and women, there must be no looking back to climb higher.

- Reggie Tagoe