After an outstanding 2021, MSC Ghana was recently recognised with the Outstanding Shipping Company of the Year at the Ghana Agricultural and Agro-Processing Awards. This is the first time MSC Ghana has received this award. It recognises business excellence and a company that has created significant impact in their industry.

MSC was nominated for this award by a customer: the Cocoa Board of Ghana, but this is not the first time the Ghana Cocoa Board recognised MSC’s excellence. In November 2021, they awarded MSC Ghana their Shipping Line of the Year award at their annual Ghana Cocoa Awards. 2021 was the first year a shipping line was recognised at the prestigious annual ceremony, and MSC Ghana continues their streak of excellence with this second award.

This is an especially noteworthy award for MSC Ghana. Agriculture accounts for 54% of the GDP, and over 40% of export earnings in the West African nation. MSC was the largest shipping line in the country for 2021, and we are proud of the critical part we play in enabling the success of Ghanaian agriculture.

Customer focus and collaboration leads to being a market leader
MSC Ghana has a strong customer focus strategy. Our local team goes the extra mile to ensure our customer service is the best for our customers. They have easy access to MSC containers for their agricultural exports and there are dedicated MSC weekly vessels in Tema and Takoradi to transport cargo for customers out of Ghana.

Coordination also played a vital role in setting MSC apart from our competitors – departments such as Sales, Documentation, Finance, and others work together as a team to provide quality service to customers at a competitive price.

Over 2021, MSC was a market leader in several notable areas. Overall, MSC was the market leader with 34% share, while the next closest competitor was at 16% share. For specific critical resources, MSC was clearly several steps ahead of the competition. MSC had a 54% market share in cashew exports, while the next closest competitor was at 17%. For cocoa beans, MSC held a 38% share while the next closest was at 26%. For timber, MSC had a 45% market share, with a gap over the next competitor at 38%.

The team in Ghana is led by a committed and supportive MD, Mr. Peter Ehrenreich. “This accomplishment would not have been possible without the commitment and dedication of MSC Ghana staff. The Export Commercial team maintains strong working relations with customers. Also enhancing our work in Ghana is good collaboration from the MSC Geneva Liner department. Finally, we also must acknowledge other MSC agencies worldwide for their teamwork to make our local efforts a success.”

Premium products for the global marketplace
Ghanaian cocoa products, especially beans, are regarded as some of the best in the world. MSC works with the Ghana Cocoa Board, as well as their subsidiary the Cocoa Marketing Company (CMC), who are by law authorised to produce, market, sell and regulate cocoa beans in Ghana. MSC started working with the Ghana Cocoa Board in 2007, when we first started operating in the market, and they have been an important customer ever since. There are close professional and working ties across all levels of both companies.

In the 2020-2021 season, cocoa production was 1.04 million tons in Ghana. This is the highest in 10 years for exceeding the 1 million tons target. MSC is proud to be the leader in helping the Ghana Cocoa Board attain this level. In 2021, MSC transported 13,000 TEU’s of cocoa beans and 4,500 TEU’s of other cocoa products.

The future is bright for the cocoa bean in Ghana. The harvest is expected to grow year-over-year, and more processing factories will also be built in the coming years. MSC is strategically positioned within the market to continue to grow our customer base and provide reliable, professional, and top-quality service to our customers.

About the Award
The winners are selected by an external research company that picks data from various stakeholders in the agribusiness value chain, as well as technical individuals from Ghana Cocoa Board, Ghana Exports Promotion Authority, Ministry of Food and Agriculture and other local/national authorities. They reviewed work from the entirety of 2021.