By Nicholas Osei-Wusu
The Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), has established a Regional Committee on Micro, Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (MSMEs), with the Regional Minister as Chairman, and mandated to coordinate all activities of the micro, small and medium-scale enterprises in the region towards creating the most congenial environment for the growth of the sector.
The Committee, which meets quarterly to consider and address issues of concern to the sector, is also coordinating the operations of state entities like the Business Resource Centres and Business Advisory Centres to play facilitating roles at the district level towards promoting the MSME sector.
The Ashanti Regional Economic Development Planning Officer, Mrs. Beatrice Kwarteng Osei Asare, who made this known in Kumasi, noted that the initiative is part of the RCC’s and government’s commitment toward empowering and promoting entrepreneurship and the business environment in the Ashanti region considered the nerve centre and viable destination of business growth in Ghana in view of the region’s strategic geographical location.
The Regional Planning Officer was speaking at the opening of the Annual Regional Network Conference for Enterprise Development and Employment Promotion.
The Annual Regional Network Conference aims ultimately to encourage players in the Micro, Small and Medium scale Enterprise sector to build synergies that will lead to the formation of an initial network of competitive Service Providers and a comprehensive database for demand and supply pulls that will serve as the catalyst for business growth in the Ashanti region.
The two-day conference brought together service providers and key stakeholders and served as an opportunity to reshape the MSME environment and create employment.
It is a joint initiative of the German Development Cooperation (GIZ), and the European Union and was attended by both public and private sector players ranging from insurance, financial, and consulting service providers to trade associations and sellers who used the opportunity to mount exhibitions of their services and wares.
One such beneficiary participating in a public institution was the Kumasi Technical Institute, popularly known as K.T.I. Its Vice Principal, Perter Adu-Boahene, shared with GBCNews why the school accepted to be part of the event.
“We’re now moving from manual vehicles to auto electronic type and we’re the potential training institution to give it to them. So our participation is to introduce our new short courses to them so that those who are interested will contact us, and we’ll give them what they require,” he explained to GBC.
The Ashanti Regional Economic Planning Officer, Mrs. Beatrice Kwarteng Osei Asare, announced efforts being made by the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council towards creating the needed atmosphere to promote the micro, small, and medium-scale enterprise sector to stimulate business growth and development in the region.
“The Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council has taken a significant step toward in establishing the Regional Committee on MSMEs which is chaired by the Honourable Regional Minister. The Committee meets quarterly to hold discussions on the growth of MSMEs in the region. This Committee also seeks to coordinate all the activities of the MSMEs in the region and ensure a concerted effort of the Business Advisory Centres as well as the Business Resource Centres which are established at the district level to play a significant role,” the Regional Economic Planning Officer disclosed.
The Head of the Private and Financial Sector Programme of GIZ, Dr. Christian Jahn, said that despite the huge potential of the MSME sector in economic growth and job creation, it is faced with enormous challenges requiring concerted efforts to address them.
Dr. Jahn said, “MSMEs have the livelihood of Ghana’s economy and serve as the engine for innovation and job creation. However, we all know that these enterprises often face formidable challenges, including limited resources, access to market and ability to navigate through complex regulatory environment. As we contemplate sustainable solutions for MSMEs, we must recognize also the interconnected nature of economic growth and employment opportunities.”
The programme was on the theme: “Sustainable Solution for MSME Growth; The Transformative Potential of the Regional Union of Service Providers.”