Ghana, Ivory Coast, special to me, says Ghandour Cosmetics marketing guru Ali Jihami

Ali Jihami, the sales and marketing expert at Ghana’s Ghandour Cosmetics Ltd, has lived for over 20 years in the West African country and has worked across the continent orchestrating high-impact marketing feats that resonate from Accra to Lagos, and from Nairobi to Dar es Salaam.

The Lebanese recently shared his best memories of Cote d’Ivoire, his first country of residence on the continent.

“I came to Côte d’Ivoire at age 18. The country’s cities of Yamoussoukro and Abidjan are beautiful now but were stunning before the Ivorian civil war. My family and I had a good experience, the people are generally warm, their food is amazing, and the music is good too.”

Continuing, he recalled: “Côte d’Ivoire has a rich culture with its annual Festival of Masks and performing stilt dancers. There is a lot to do in your leisure time like go hiking, fishing, exploring waterfalls and seeing the sights. There are several sandy beaches and our family weekend trips to Assinie were the best.”

While he was at home in Ivory Coast, he was lured to the former Gold Coast (Ghana) by tales of African splendour from a friend.

As he recollected: “A friend of mine who returned from Ghana spoke highly of the country and that awakened my curiosity and luckily for me, in less than a month I had a job offer from Ghandour Cosmetics and it was an opportunity for me to experience other parts of Africa. And since 2001, I have been here in Ghana, with no regrets.”

Ali Jihami is, by all means, a successful man who is good at what he is doing, namely the sales and marketing of luxurious and personal care products.

Speaking about role models, he avowed: “The man that I have become has been immensely influenced by the man that my father was. He was a very hardworking person, a family man who demonstrated confidence and leadership, respected people, and was honest. These are guiding principles that I live by today.”