Business marketing and communications students of the Bolgatanga Technical University under the Department of Marketing and Communication Studies were in shock after the Chief Executive Officer of Tamanaa Rice Processing Factory, Alhaji Shaibu Braimah revealed that he lost several hectares of his farm produce to fire and drought.
His unyielding desire to succeed pushed him to sell his house to continue with his business, a move that was met with resistance from friends and family members who were concerned about his huge investment going down the drain again after such huge losses.
Over 30 students, last Friday, August 16, embarked on a field trip to the company as part of their academic activities in a bid to connect the theoretical lessons to what happens in the actual world of business.
It is essentially to help the students understand some challenges and successes in starting and operating a business in Ghana.
Tamanaa is derived from a Mampruli phrase which means ‘King of hope’. This, therefore accurately describes the strides of the Tamanaa Company Limited as an agribusiness involved in rice farming, milling, and processing.
Located in Nasia, in the North East region of Ghana, the company was started in 2015 by Alhaji Alhaji Saibu Braimah, a native of North East Region.
The farm that was meant to feed the factory was initially lost to fire and drought compelling him to sell his house to continue with his business. This, however, did not discourage Alhaji Saibu Braimah. Instead, he rather went on to complete his rice milling factory in February 2016.
According to him, he finally recovered all his losses in the 2019 farming year.
“The first year, I did 600 hectares, a fire destroyed it. 2016, I again went for a loan and did 600 hectares and drought destroyed everything but in 2019, when I sold my house in Tamale and embarked on the farming again, I was able to recover the losses. There is no business that is profitable like farming,” he told the students.
Head of the Department of Marketing and Communication Studies, Dr. Benjamin Asunka explained why the field trip was necessary to help in students connect what they learn to the realities of the business world.
“A trip like this allows the students to have a practical feel of what people do in the industry so we find it essential for the students in BTU to always go out there and have an experience on what they do at the company. When we came to Tamanaa, we saw a lot of things. At the packaging area, students got to know what we have been saying about the packaging of products.”
Some students expressed delight at the opportunity to embark on the field trip. One of them, Solomon Agame stated that he was touched by the persevering spirit of the CEO.
Another student, Francis, noted he had a practical feel of the various processes and stages of business development and is encouraged not to give up when he encounters some challenges.
