Profica boldly goes
When establishing a market presence, companies need team players who are not only knowledgeable self-starters but must be ready to take on challenges and expand their capabilities at a fast pace. At Profica, this attitude still persists even though the company is firmly into its second decade.
Tinashe Manyande, based at the Profica Ghana office, is one such team player. He had originally been working as a project manager at Profica’s head office for two years before being asked to relocate to Accra, Ghana, to assist with establishing Profica’s in-country presence. Today Ghana has a 5-strong team, an impressive track record and a growing portfolio of clients.
Tinashe says, “I was eager to take on the challenge of helping establish a new location for Profica, in support of the company’s strong expansion strategy. We were confident about developing a presence in Ghana due to Profica’s strong technical capabilities, combined with our experience in other western African countries and in East Africa. So the skill set was there. What wasn’t there at that point were the networks and relationships.”
Tinashe continues, “More than anything else, I would rate personal associations as having been key to building up the Profica brand and obtaining the project work in Ghana. Ghanaians are particularly open and friendly, so it is an environment conducive to building relationships. The flip side of this is that it can take time to build up those relationships, and develop the networks. However, we were prepared to do this because Profica’s commitment to expanding into Ghana was aimed at the long term. Our single-minded commitment has now paid off.”
Tinashe says that the Ghana property sector is particularly buoyant at present, evidenced in the new developments in progress around Accra. Profica’s Ghana office is very active with a number of recent new wins that include the Embassy Hotel which will be operated by Tsogo Sun. But the team won’t be seen resting on their hard-earned laurels as investor interest in the country continues to grow. Tinashe says, “In Ghana, the heat is on … both figuratively and physically! And we’re ready.”
