Biography of Mohammed Ahmed Odaymat

Mohammed Ahmed Odaymat is a Lebanese-Ghanaian. He began his career as an employee of Toyota Ghana before purchasing BBC Industrial Company in 1978. BBC Industrial was formerly held by Boutros BouChedid, a Ghanaian of Lebanese heritage. Following his acquisition of BBC Industrial Company, Odaymat created the Leyland and Leylac paint brand. The enterprise has grown from a single shed to occupying almost 80% of the 4-hectare property where it now stands.

Mohammed Odaymat established Rana Motors and Metal Works Engineering as well. He began with a structural engineering workshop and a basic tyre store. Since then, the company has grown by branching into new business categories and continually adding respected brands to its portfolio.

Odaymat began commercializing tyres in the late 1980s and was affiliated with the Goodyear brand by 1991. During the late 1990s (Ghana’s mining boom), Rana Motors focused on the mining tyre market, which was made possible by Goodyear’s excellent goods in this area. Because of these considerations, Rana Motors was able to secure an exclusive dealer arrangement with Goodyear for earthmoving tyre supply in Ghana.

Mohammed Odaymat is the Chairman of the Board of BBC Industrial (Ghana) Limited, which manufactures Leyland and Leylac paints in Tema. BBC Industrial Company is Ghana’s largest local paint maker, accounting for around 55% of locally manufactured paints. Esam, his son, is the company’s current CEO.

Rana Motors & Metal Works Engineering Co. Ltd., Odaymat’s firm, became the authorized distributors of KIA MOTORS in 1986 and now has four branches in Ghana (Accra, Tema, Kumasi, and Takoradi) and the West African area.

The agency rights for Ashok Leyland commercial vehicles, Swaraj Mazda commercial vehicles and tractors, Yuejin commercial vehicles, and Suzuki motorcycles were also bought by the business.

With approximately 500 people, Odaymat’s tyre firm, West Africa Tire Services Ltd, distributes Goodyear earthmoving tyres and is the primary franchise holder of Goodyear’s Vulco retail branch. Rana Motors presently imports the whole Goodyear tyre line in Ghana and West Africa, as well as a variety of automotive batteries.

The mining industry contributes for 30% to 35% of the company’s tyre distribution business, with the construction, institutional, and haulage sectors accounting for the remainder. Rana Motors is a multifaceted firm.
Highland Springs produces the Aqua Fill brand of mineral water, which is a market leader in the bottled water industry. The Ghanaian factory can produce 20 million litres per year.

The Rana Group also includes Khomara Printing Press, Eakaza Food & Consumables, Belshina Africa Limited, and Lana Travel and Tours Limited.

With an estimated net worth of $850 million, Alhaji Mohammed Ahmed Odaymat ranks fifth among Ghana’s richest men and women.

Mohammed Ahmed Odaymat was born in Ghana but is of Lebanese origin. Before purchasing the BBC Industrial Company in 1978, he worked for Toyota Ghana.

He is the current chairman of IPMC, a corporation focused on improving the region’s digital economy through systems integration, software development, and IT skill-building initiatives.

Other enterprises he founded, such as Rana Motors & Metal Works Engineering Co. Ltd., enabled Mohammed Ahmed Odaymat gain a large net worth and become one of Ghana’s richest individuals.