Dr. Joyce Aryee , chairperson of the local network in her welcome address indicated that the Global Compact was based on the idea that businesses were a major and powerful component of every society and thus had the role and clear responsibility to help address the world’s most pressing problems.

 The Deputy UNDP Country Director , Shegeki Komatsubara in his remarks stated that the Global Compact had lived up to its promise of bringing business together with other stakeholders, and infusing markets and economies with universal values. He called on businesses to come together to demonstrate collective action on transformative corporate social responsibility, where it can work with communities and groups on their development. He underscored the importance of Globa Compact participants to show their leadership in corporate social responsibility especially as Ghana moves into an oil economy and demonstrate that it is possible to do profitable business and promote social contracting and cohesion. He announced that under the aegis of the Global Compact, UNDP Ghana will be collaborating with the Ghana Chamber of Mines to develop an Alternative Livelihoods Framework for Mining Communities, which will help stem some of the persistent conflicts between mining companies and communities.