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Nominations for the second edition of the �Ghana Made Awards� have opened in Accra. The awards, to be held in October this year, on the theme �Industrialisation, the key strategy to accelerated economic development and job creation� will honour 30 institutions for the production of unique made-in-Ghana products and the delivery of efficient services. Patronage of Ghana-made products Speaking at the launch, the President of the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Ghana (EFG),organisers of the event, Mr Sam Ato Gaisie, said the purpose of the awards was to expose Ghanaian indigenous products to all citizens in the country in an effort to create awareness and promote Ghana-made products and services. He advised Ghanaians to patronise made-in-Ghana goods and services to save the cedi from further depreciation, adding that �if we patronise made-in-Ghana products, importation of products would be reduced and we can create more jobs in Ghana. �Ghanaians should make a conscious effort to buy and use made-in-Ghana products in our homes, board meetings and official functions in order to save indigenous and multinational industries in Ghana from collapse�, he said. According to Mr Gaisie, local companies needed the appropriate legislations and environment to operate and thrive, and expressed the hope that the awards would motivate companies in Ghana to improve on their products and services. The award Per the voting rules this year, 80 per cent of the votes have been assigned to the public while a panel of experts would possess 20 per cent of the voting rights. Also, the assessment criteria for the awards include the product content, product innovation, product excellence quality and its benefits. Others are the product�s features, packaging, value, sustainability and certification. The categories include the Ghana Personality of the Year, Product of the Year, Innovative Product of the Year and the Indigenous product of the year. The public are also expected to make their nominations for each of the 30 categories. Nominations will close on July 30.