Following on President Obama’s visit to Ghana, Avasant Opens Africa Office

In a public-private partnership with the Government of Ghana and World Bank, Avasant targets BPO growth in the region.   LOS ANGELES, Sept. 26, 2009 - Avasant, the world's top ranked Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) advisory firm and headquartered in Manhattan Beach, California, has signed a multi-year consulting agreement with the Government of Ghana's Ministry of Communications (MOC) to promote the IT Enabled Services (ITES) sector in the country.  This Agreement is part of a World Bank funded initiative to support economic growth in the region. Under the terms of the agreement, Avasant will work closely with the MOC and Ghana's burgeoning private-sector to develop and implement strategies to grow and enhance Ghana's ITES industry and accelerate Ghana's entry into the "interconnected" world.   Although Avasant's Africa strategy has been in the works for the past 18 months, Kevin S. Parikh, CEO of Avasant admitted, "we are more confident than ever in Africa's prospects, and clearly the Obama Administration has increased our confidence and desire to work in Ghana and the region."   On July 11, 2009, in his address to the Ghanaian Parliament, President Obama unequivocally stated, "America can also do more to promote trade and investment [with Africa]." He also encouraged, "public-private partnerships that invest in better roads and electricity; capacity-building that trains people to grow a business; financial services that reach not just the cities but also the poor and rural areas."   Avasant's new Ghana office will be based in the West African nation's capital and largest city, Accra. Its primary purpose will be to support World Bank and MOC related efforts to improve "public-private partnerships" and drive improved cross-border business integration with Ghana and the Africa region. Ghana, with its stable government and economy, has been making rapid strides in developing a BPO friendly environment for potential investors. Further commenting on Avasant's engagement with Ghanaian Government, Mr. Parikh said: "This engagement with the Ministry of Communications reinforces our growing commitment to emerging BPO regions. We look forward to supporting the [MOC] to build on its stated desire to expand public-private partnerships and make Ghana a top destination for doing work in Africa." Dr. P.K. Mukherji, President of Avasant Asia said: "This development is yet another endorsement of Avasant's capabilities in the globalization space. We are delighted to engage with the Ministry of Communications to promote ITES/ BPO sector in Ghana. We remain very optimistic on Ghana's potential and will leverage our deep expertise and globalization insights to ensure long lasting success for this initiative". "Our new office in Accra, Ghana will closely support this initiative and also support our other activities in the promising African region", he added. About Avasant Avasant is a next generation management consultancy firm with internationally recognized expertise in sourcing and globalization solutions.  Avasant has been ranked as the No. 1 BPO Advisor in the world and a top 10 full services advisory firm in 2009 according to the Black Book of Outsourcing (published by the Wall Street Journal). Avasant's experts have extensive experience in helping both commercial and governmental organizations keep pace with rapidly changing requirements through the use of strategic sourcing and global market expansion.  For more information about sourcing advisory services or globalization consulting services, visit: https://avasant.com. Related Links: President Obama's Speech to the Ghanaian Parliament - http://www.america.gov/st/texttrans-english/2009/July/20090711110050abretnuh0.1079783.html&distid=ucs · Ghana Ministry of Communications - http://www.moc.gov.gh/ · Ghana Association of Software and IT Services Companies (GASSCOM) - http://www.gasscom.org.gh/ ·          The World Bank - Business Unusual: BPO in Ghana - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MD51rXfFOQ For Further Information, contact: Dr. Pradeep Mukherji Avasant, LLC e-mail: pk.mukherji@avasant.com