BM (NYSE: IBM) today announced the opening of a new procurement center in Ghana to support IBM’s rapid business growth in the region and lay the foundation for additional industry growth initiatives throughout the continent.  The center, located in Accra, will serve clients and business partners in Ghana and 16 other African countries.

“IBM has made substantial investments in Ghana over the past few years in terms of skills development and we see opportunities for further development as business and government leaders capture the potential of information technology to transform their enterprises and support efforts to build a smarter planet,” said Joe Mensah, General Manager of IBM Ghana.

Procurement services to support the region will include activities such as purchase order creation, amendments and supplier invoice management, all designed to drive client value, productivity, and effective supplier management. IBM will staff the procurement center with local talent to help ensure the development of new skills for a modern workforce, and to help stimulate economic growth in the region.

“This center opening is another example of IBM’s efforts to become the world’s premier globally integrated enterprise,” said Fran O’Sullivan, general manager, IBM Integrated Supply Chain.  “The expansion of our procurement operations in Ghana will help extend IBM’s business value and service in an important growth market.”

The new procurement center opening is being announced at the launch of the IBM 2011 “Driving Efficiency” Roadshow. The customer conference will bring nearly 200 IT managers and professionals together to review IBM systems and technology in an effort to drive efficiency and growth for Ghanaian businesses. 

The launch of the new procurement center extends IBM’s commitment to supplier diversity and environmental responsibility in Africa. IBM previously announced a collaborative partnership with the University of Ghana. Through this partnership, IBM provided educational programming, curricula and technology experts to the university.

 Procurement Operations will serve:  Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Seychelles, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

 For more information on IBM, please visit: http://asmarterplanet.com/blog/2011/06/ibm-in-africa