Technology vital for local business survival
- Ashigbey
THE Managing Director of Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), Mr Kenneth Ashigbey, has called on local businesses to adopt to new technologies to enable them to compete with their peers in the global market place.
He said, “Without new technology, there is no way businesses will be able to compete. For us at Graphic, one of the things that has transformed our operations is the new technology we have adopted,” Mr Ashigbey said, urging other business executives to patronise technology, given the tremendous advantages and impact it would have on their operations.
Mr Ashigbey made the call when organisers of the leading industrial fair in West Africa, GEREU 2012 by the Ghanaian-German Economic Association (GGEA), paid a courtesy call on him and the editorial team of Daily Graphic.
He said Graphic had invested several millions of Euros to acquire a new printing press, making Ghana’s largest and most celebrated media house the fourth company in Africa, after South Africa and Kenya, to own such an ultra-modern facility.
He said local businesses needed to leverage on Ghana’s image in the global arena as a beacon of peace and stability and a haven for investment in Africa, adding that “we need a paradigm shift in our technology.”
He said the company was committed to its mandate of empowering the people with all the information that would educate and entertain them.
The Editor of the Daily Graphic, Mr Ransford Tetteh, said the paper would contribute its quota to the growth of the private sector since their survival would be beneficial to both parties.
He, therefore, urged the business world to avail itself of the opportunities and the platforms that the Graphic Group provided for a win-win outcome, saying the two could partner to do special supplements for members of the association on agreed terms.
The President of the Ghanaian-German Economic Association (GGEA), Mr Stephen Antwi, said the inability of businesses to embrace new technology in Ghana was the puzzle GEREU was seeking to solve.
“If we want our country to move forward, we need to employ new technology in our businesses. That is why we are here to seek partnership with Graphic and we hope that by hosting GEREU, it will gradually open the eyes of Ghanaian manufacturers about the need to line up with the rest of the world,” he said.
Mr Antwi, a legal consultant, said the country could not continue to import everything but must begin to produce certain essential items for itself.
He pledged that members of GGEA, many businesses with interest in German and European products, would support the Graphic Group and its brands, such as the Graphic Business, to enable it to provide relevant and timely information for businesses and decision makers.
GEREU 12, the fifth in a series, would showcase a range of companies and products from Europe for various solutions in automotive, plant installation, oil and gas, mining machinery, and information and communications technology (ICT).
Other areas are logistics, building materials, construction, printing, telecommunications and chemical industry.
Mr Antwi said the entry-free fair had grown over the years from an exhibition of 14 companies into a must-attend flagship industrial fair for the whole of West Africa.
The three-day event comes off from September 25 to 27, 2012 at the Accra International Conference and would have two special stands: the Technology Corridor and an Auto Care Centre.
Thursday, October 04, 2012
Local SMEs absent at GEREU 2012
At the 2012 GEREU fair in Accra, no was seen from the local SMEs although foreign ones took advantage of it.
LOCAL Businesses in the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector were conspicuously absent at the just ended GEREU 2012 Fair in Accra.
Interestingly however, SMEs from neighboring African countries were represented at the three-day fair organised by the Ghanaian-German Economic Association (GGEA) for businesses within and outside the country.
The fair is annual event by the GGEA, the umbrella body of Ghanaian and German businesses in the country, aimed at exposing businesses to investors and prospective customers from both countries and beyond.
It is not clear why indigenous businesses in the SME sector did not attend although the event was widely publicised in the media.
The GEREU Fair is rated as an international event, an issue that might have deterred the SMEs from participating.
When GRAPHIC BUSINESS contacted the President of GGEA, Mr Stephen Antwi, he said, “the real answer is I don’t know why they are not at the fair because they are supposed to take advantage of the platform we provide for them to demonstrate their products and services to Ghanaians and the outside world.”
“We extended invitation to everyone; we don’t discriminate in any manner, shape or form. We would have been glad if two or three SME companies were here to take a stand but they are not here and that is unfortunate,” he bemonaed.
“The message out there to our small scale entrepreneurs is that if they want to participate in GEREU, we welcome them and we can always discuss the mechanics or the proper way in which we can get this done,” Mr Antwi added.
“We put out advertisement for companies to come and partake in GEREU, and these Sierra Leoneans took advantage of it and came, he said referring to a group of SME businesses from neighbouring Sierra Leone.
THE SIERRA LEONEAN STAND
Different SMEs came all the way from Sierra Leone to exhibit their wares at the fair. Their products range included textiles, soap, and food supplements, amongst others.
The AMCB Company in Freetown, Sierra Leone which processes lemon into lemon grass oil, tea and soap, was among the many foreign SMEs present at the event.
Its Managing Director, Mr Mark Abdul Saccoh, said told the GRAPHIC BUSINESS that he was happy to be part of the fair given the linkages it had created for him and his business.
He said the fair had offered him the opportunity to interact with business partners and hoped that such interactions will lead to partnerships.
“It is good and nice,” said Mr Saccoh who was exhibiting his products in Ghana for the first time.
“We have lots of opportunities, we are interacting with other counterparts from other parts of the country and I think that is a great experience for us,” he added.
According to Mr Saccoh, his company and the other businesses from Sierra Leone came to GEREU 2012 under the flagship of the Sierra Leone Investment and Export Promotion Agency (SLIEPA). The SLIEPA is the equivalent of Ghana’s Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) and is responsible for creating the enabling environment for indigenous businesses to produce in their home country and export to other countries.
Another exhibitor, Madam Fatimata Timbo of Fatimbo Enterprises, who is into textiles and batik said the fair had always been helpful to her business as far getting customers was concerned.
“I have the understanding of what I can bring and sell or to showcase and that gives me an impression of what people in Sierra Leone and Ghana wants so I can just cut across.”
“Whenever we come and go back, we get some ideas from here because Ghanaians are famous with their ability of creating their own designs,” she said.
She was happy that although the exhibition was highly international they still had the opportunity to come and showcase the few things that they make in Sierra Leone.
BENEFITS FOR SMEs
According to the GGEA President, the Sierra Leoneans who have always been a part of the fair stand to gain much exposure adding “you need to expose your products and services to the rest of the world if you are in business.”
He said they see Ghana as a bigger market than Sierra Leone which can help give them the needed exposure hence they taking part in GEREU every year.
Mr Antwi stressed that “if they are able to penetrate the Ghanaian market and reach out to suppliers from Ghana, then they stand to gain. What we are doing is to link them up to local Ghanaian companies so that they can partner with them and get more benefits from them.”
“I think the exposure is one thing, once you get to the fair, you can be doing business with your fellow exhibitor. After you leave here you get certain machinery that would help you increase the rate of production,” he said.
Thus, Ghanaians SMEs failed to expose their products and explore the possibilities of partnerships offered them at the just ended GEREU Fair in Accra.GB
http://www.graphic.com.gh/dailygraphic/index.php
At the 2012 GEREU fair in Accra, no was seen from the local SMEs although foreign ones took advantage of it.
LOCAL Businesses in the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector were conspicuously absent at the just ended GEREU 2012 Fair in Accra.
Interestingly however, SMEs from neighboring African countries were represented at the three-day fair organised by the Ghanaian-German Economic Association (GGEA) for businesses within and outside the country.
The fair is annual event by the GGEA, the umbrella body of Ghanaian and German businesses in the country, aimed at exposing businesses to investors and prospective customers from both countries and beyond.
It is not clear why indigenous businesses in the SME sector did not attend although the event was widely publicised in the media.
The GEREU Fair is rated as an international event, an issue that might have deterred the SMEs from participating.
When GRAPHIC BUSINESS contacted the President of GGEA, Mr Stephen Antwi, he said, “the real answer is I don’t know why they are not at the fair because they are supposed to take advantage of the platform we provide for them to demonstrate their products and services to Ghanaians and the outside world.”
“We extended invitation to everyone; we don’t discriminate in any manner, shape or form. We would have been glad if two or three SME companies were here to take a stand but they are not here and that is unfortunate,” he bemonaed.
“The message out there to our small scale entrepreneurs is that if they want to participate in GEREU, we welcome them and we can always discuss the mechanics or the proper way in which we can get this done,” Mr Antwi added.
“We put out advertisement for companies to come and partake in GEREU, and these Sierra Leoneans took advantage of it and came, he said referring to a group of SME businesses from neighbouring Sierra Leone.
THE SIERRA LEONEAN STAND
Different SMEs came all the way from Sierra Leone to exhibit their wares at the fair. Their products range included textiles, soap, and food supplements, amongst others.
The AMCB Company in Freetown, Sierra Leone which processes lemon into lemon grass oil, tea and soap, was among the many foreign SMEs present at the event.
Its Managing Director, Mr Mark Abdul Saccoh, said told the GRAPHIC BUSINESS that he was happy to be part of the fair given the linkages it had created for him and his business.
He said the fair had offered him the opportunity to interact with business partners and hoped that such interactions will lead to partnerships.
“It is good and nice,” said Mr Saccoh who was exhibiting his products in Ghana for the first time.
“We have lots of opportunities, we are interacting with other counterparts from other parts of the country and I think that is a great experience for us,” he added.
According to Mr Saccoh, his company and the other businesses from Sierra Leone came to GEREU 2012 under the flagship of the Sierra Leone Investment and Export Promotion Agency (SLIEPA). The SLIEPA is the equivalent of Ghana’s Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) and is responsible for creating the enabling environment for indigenous businesses to produce in their home country and export to other countries.
Another exhibitor, Madam Fatimata Timbo of Fatimbo Enterprises, who is into textiles and batik said the fair had always been helpful to her business as far getting customers was concerned.
“I have the understanding of what I can bring and sell or to showcase and that gives me an impression of what people in Sierra Leone and Ghana wants so I can just cut across.”
“Whenever we come and go back, we get some ideas from here because Ghanaians are famous with their ability of creating their own designs,” she said.
She was happy that although the exhibition was highly international they still had the opportunity to come and showcase the few things that they make in Sierra Leone.
BENEFITS FOR SMEs
According to the GGEA President, the Sierra Leoneans who have always been a part of the fair stand to gain much exposure adding “you need to expose your products and services to the rest of the world if you are in business.”
He said they see Ghana as a bigger market than Sierra Leone which can help give them the needed exposure hence they taking part in GEREU every year.
Mr Antwi stressed that “if they are able to penetrate the Ghanaian market and reach out to suppliers from Ghana, then they stand to gain. What we are doing is to link them up to local Ghanaian companies so that they can partner with them and get more benefits from them.”
“I think the exposure is one thing, once you get to the fair, you can be doing business with your fellow exhibitor. After you leave here you get certain machinery that would help you increase the rate of production,” he said.
Thus, Ghanaians SMEs failed to expose their products and explore the possibilities of partnerships offered them at the just ended GEREU Fair in Accra.GB
http://www.graphic.com.gh/dailygraphic/index.php
22nd Export Achievers awards held
HE 2011 National Awards for Export Achievement has been held in Accra under the theme, “Providing Sustainable Motivation for Export Excellence”.
The Awards scheme was instituted in 1989 by the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) in line with government efforts to stimulate growth on non-traditional exports (NTEs) and to cushion the volatility of earnings from traditional exports.
The awards which was the 22nd in the series had five categories going to players in the NTEs.
They were special honorary awards; platinum; silver; gold; most delivered; export services; woman exporter of the year and exporter of the year.
Interplast Limited, producers of PV pipes and other plastics received the exporter of the year award, while Mrs Margaret Tweneboa-Boateng of Excel Industries Ltd, an aluminium household utensils manufacturer, emerged the woman exporter of the year.
The platinum award went to Cocoa Processing Company Limited while Ernimich Limited, a food processing company was given the Most Diversified award.
Gold award winners include Azar Chemical Industries Limited (household paint), Logs & Lumber Ltd (builders’ woodwork, Kumasi), PZ Cussons Limited (soaps), Ghana Nuts Company Ltd (shea (Karate) oil, Techiman) and Pinora Limited (fruit concentrate, orange, Asamankese), among others.
Special honorary awards went to Dayash Ventures, Craftman Studios, Chocho Industries Limited, Naasakle Limited, Ebenut Ghana and Integrated Tamale Fruit Company.
Some silver award winners were, Kinapharma Limited, Jei River farms, Ruker Ventures, K. Laast Company Limited and Dhillon Farms International, and others.
Other objectives are to formally recognise the contribution of exporters in the NTE sector to economic prosperity of Ghana, to encourage higher levels of performance by exporters and to raise export consciousness among Ghanaians in general.
Since its inception, over 700 export companies and facilitating institutions have received recognition under the awards scheme.
A speech read on behalf of the Vice President Mr Kwesi Amissah Arthur by Mr Stephen Amoanor Quao assured that government will not relegate the NTE in the background but develop and promote it to make it globally competitive.
“One of the means would be to support the NTE sector directly with a percentage of oil revenue. I therefore urge stakeholders in the export sector, especially the GEPA to take immediate steps to begin the branding process of our major NTE products and services”.
The Minister of Trade and Industry, Ms Hannah Tetteh in a speech read on her behalf by Nana Kwadwo Adantwi announced that government was committing US$500 million out of the US$3 billion loan from the China Development Bank to expand the Takoradi and Tema Ports and rehabilitate the western railway line.
This is one of the strategies to build and expand existing trade infrastructure to facilitate movement of our exports through the country.
“The reasons for the rapid depreciation of the cedis is our over reliance on imports and our inability to balance that with exports. To offset this, government has initiated programmes to engender a very conducive environment for the exports of non-traditional goods and services”.
He said Ghana’s market share of the regional market was just US$655 million and challenged stakeholders in the sector to move it to US$1 billion by 2014.
He urged all exporters to take advantage of the solo exhibitions and all other exhibitions to increase their market reach and enhance Ghana’s market share in the sub-region.
The acting Chief Executive of the GEPA, Mr Stephen Normeshie said the authority had undertaken a number of activities to support and sustain the growth of the export sector.
The NTE sector in 2011 contributed US$2.423 billion to Ghana’s economy, an increase of 48.74% in value over 2010n earnings.
He said that through the TradeCom Facility under an ACP-EU Commission, the GEPA implemented a programme to identify key markets for selected Ghanaian products in the EU and ECOWAS sub-region.
“I am happy to report that through the programme, some Ghanaian producers / exporters in the agriculture and manufacture sectors have been linked with buyers in Germany, Liberia and Mali”.
In furtherance of this, he said the GEPA had introduced a pilot traceability project and so far about 36 companies have been mapped and the information on their processes have been transferred to the digital map of Ghana. The information is currently linked to the GEPA database.
http://www.graphic.com.gh/dailygraphic/index.php
GSA wants partnership to deal with uncleared cargo
The Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA) plans to institute an Emergency Congestion Reduction Tax Force (ECORT) to deal effectively with the issue of congestion at the port.
The authority is consequently proposing a partnership with the private sector for an arrangement that will rid the ports of uncleared cargo.
“The uncleared cargo list continues to grow and this is choking the ports,” the Chief Executive of GSA, Dr Kofi Mbiah, said at the 6th National Shippers Day in Accra.
According to him, port congestion continues to impact negatively on the industry affecting the competitiveness of shippers and the efficiency of other service providers.
“Government should encourage private sector participation under a public-private partnership arrangement that will deal solely with the auctioning of uncleared cargo including vehicles from the port”.
The National Shippers’ Day, which was on the theme, “Enhancing Shipping Competitiveness: Removing the Obstacles”, is a biannual event instituted in 1997 to create a national platform for interaction among key players in Ghana’s international trade and transport chain, which include ship owners, shippers, port authorities, customs and other ancillary service providers.
It is an occasion that brought stakeholders in the industry to deliberate on issues affecting trade and the transport sectors of the economy. The forum has over the years provided opportunities for importers and exporters to take stock of the performance of the maritime transport industry and to highlight the problems and challenges faced in the shipment of goods to and from Ghana.
The Chief Executive of the authority is upbeat that the creation of a task force will provide an impetus to trade facilitation at the ports. He called for the need for a medium to long-term plan of port development fitted within an integrated trade and transport logistics policy.
The Deputy Minister of Transport, Madam Dzifa Aku Ativor, said the ministry was putting in place measures to address challenges that had the potential of increasing the cost of doing business in Ghana, with negative implications on the national economy.
She said the ministry had been engaging in a series of meetings with the Ship Owners and Agents Association of Ghana (SOAAG), as part of efforts at tackling the issues.
Also, she said the GSA, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority and the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, as key stakeholders in the import/export business, had been directed to engage all relevant actors in the industry, with a view to finding a permanent resolution of the problem of congestion at the seaports.
“Challenging times, it is said, require bold decisions, therefore, [for] its part, the government will continue to pursue reforms that will enhance competitiveness, including the needed improvements in the ports, as national economic infrastructure, to revitalise growth in the industry”.
Ms Ativor said the government was working assiduously to source funds for further expansion of the ports, which would include deepening the draughts of the berths, acquisition of equipment to improve port operations, development of new empty container yards outside the port, all in a bid to reduce the congestion currently being experienced at the ports.
http://www.graphic.com.gh/dailygraphic/index.php
The Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA) plans to institute an Emergency Congestion Reduction Tax Force (ECORT) to deal effectively with the issue of congestion at the port.
The authority is consequently proposing a partnership with the private sector for an arrangement that will rid the ports of uncleared cargo.
“The uncleared cargo list continues to grow and this is choking the ports,” the Chief Executive of GSA, Dr Kofi Mbiah, said at the 6th National Shippers Day in Accra.
According to him, port congestion continues to impact negatively on the industry affecting the competitiveness of shippers and the efficiency of other service providers.
“Government should encourage private sector participation under a public-private partnership arrangement that will deal solely with the auctioning of uncleared cargo including vehicles from the port”.
The National Shippers’ Day, which was on the theme, “Enhancing Shipping Competitiveness: Removing the Obstacles”, is a biannual event instituted in 1997 to create a national platform for interaction among key players in Ghana’s international trade and transport chain, which include ship owners, shippers, port authorities, customs and other ancillary service providers.
It is an occasion that brought stakeholders in the industry to deliberate on issues affecting trade and the transport sectors of the economy. The forum has over the years provided opportunities for importers and exporters to take stock of the performance of the maritime transport industry and to highlight the problems and challenges faced in the shipment of goods to and from Ghana.
The Chief Executive of the authority is upbeat that the creation of a task force will provide an impetus to trade facilitation at the ports. He called for the need for a medium to long-term plan of port development fitted within an integrated trade and transport logistics policy.
The Deputy Minister of Transport, Madam Dzifa Aku Ativor, said the ministry was putting in place measures to address challenges that had the potential of increasing the cost of doing business in Ghana, with negative implications on the national economy.
She said the ministry had been engaging in a series of meetings with the Ship Owners and Agents Association of Ghana (SOAAG), as part of efforts at tackling the issues.
Also, she said the GSA, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority and the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, as key stakeholders in the import/export business, had been directed to engage all relevant actors in the industry, with a view to finding a permanent resolution of the problem of congestion at the seaports.
“Challenging times, it is said, require bold decisions, therefore, [for] its part, the government will continue to pursue reforms that will enhance competitiveness, including the needed improvements in the ports, as national economic infrastructure, to revitalise growth in the industry”.
Ms Ativor said the government was working assiduously to source funds for further expansion of the ports, which would include deepening the draughts of the berths, acquisition of equipment to improve port operations, development of new empty container yards outside the port, all in a bid to reduce the congestion currently being experienced at the ports.
http://www.graphic.com.gh/dailygraphic/index.php
MTN Foundation empowers marginalised groups
THE MTN Ghana Foundation is enriching the lives of many Ghanaians by developing their economic capacity through the provision of resources under its economic empowerment programme.
The objective is to develop the capacity of marginalised groups, particularly the physically challenged and school drop outs, through the provision of resources such as skills training, financial support, equipment and machinery, toolkits, technology, micro-business units and mentorship, among others, for commercially viable enterprises.
It is also to encourage and support young people with good business ideas to start their own businesses.
These came out during a two-day training workshop for Journalists for Business Advocacy (JBA) on how to report accurately and adequately on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the country.
The workshop, sponsored by the Business Advocacy and Challenge (BUSAC) Fund and MTN Ghana Foundation, was meant to adequately equip the journalists to enhance their reports and assist to promote the private sector.
The journalists who were drawn from across the country had the platform to discuss a wide range of issues including over-taxation of SMEs, the macro-economic environment, poor business documentation and media advocacy tools.
The Senior Manager for MTN Ghana Corporate Communications, Ms Georgina Asare Fiagbenu, said the foundation intended to support entrepreneurial and economic activities of rural enterprises, start-up businesses in the informal sector (farmer groups, etc.), sustainable eco-friendly enterprises and Information Technology (IT) and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) related services and products.
She said the total investments per micro project was a minimum GH¢5,000 and a maximum GH¢10,000, with a focus on capital investment and capacity building.
Outlining procedures governing the foundation, Ms Fiagbenu said every participant in the scheme was given business training as part of the package, adding that for the pilot project, the foundation enlisted individuals who were already in some sort of trade or small business.
“All enlisted individuals are mandated to open a bank account with a rural bank or the nearest bank which will be negotiated by MTN Ghana, and they must also sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to work with the bank or a third party to practise basic book-keeping to help generate financial records and input monitoring and evaluation reports,” she said.
A senior manager with MTN Ghana Foundation, Mr Robert Kuzoe, said globally, the MTN Foundation concentrated on four focus areas: Health, Education, Economic Empowerment & Music, Arts & Culture.
He said the foundation also decided to focus on Health and Education for the formative years due to its critical role in fostering the well-being of communities.
According to him, in April 2011, the MTN Ghana Foundation Board approved the addition of Economic Empowerment focus to the activities of the Foundation. This was primarily to implement lessons learnt from the MTN Nigeria Foundation and also to get the opportunity to explore other areas of support.
The General Secretary of JBA, Mr Suleiman Mustapha, bemoaned the various challenges facing SMEs in relation to access to capital, lack of publicity, poor finishing and packaging of products as well as limited access to skills.
He thus called for government’s support at both the local and national level to develop SMEs in the country.
He said they must set a priority, determine national policies related to SME development and promotion and added that in developing such policies, the participatory approach should be adopted, which required that representatives of SMEs should be consulted and involved during all stages; from the identification and formulation of programmes till their implementation at both national and district levels.
The BUSAC Fund approved GH¢11.24 million for 362 business associations in all the 10 regions of the country to undertake projects such as infrastructure, standardisation, access to market, value chain, capacity building, and enforcement.
In addition to this, the Fund also created an application system to receive, screen, evaluate, select, approve and verify grant approvals.
http://www.graphic.com.gh/dailygraphic/index.php
THE MTN Ghana Foundation is enriching the lives of many Ghanaians by developing their economic capacity through the provision of resources under its economic empowerment programme.
The objective is to develop the capacity of marginalised groups, particularly the physically challenged and school drop outs, through the provision of resources such as skills training, financial support, equipment and machinery, toolkits, technology, micro-business units and mentorship, among others, for commercially viable enterprises.
It is also to encourage and support young people with good business ideas to start their own businesses.
These came out during a two-day training workshop for Journalists for Business Advocacy (JBA) on how to report accurately and adequately on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the country.
The workshop, sponsored by the Business Advocacy and Challenge (BUSAC) Fund and MTN Ghana Foundation, was meant to adequately equip the journalists to enhance their reports and assist to promote the private sector.
The journalists who were drawn from across the country had the platform to discuss a wide range of issues including over-taxation of SMEs, the macro-economic environment, poor business documentation and media advocacy tools.
The Senior Manager for MTN Ghana Corporate Communications, Ms Georgina Asare Fiagbenu, said the foundation intended to support entrepreneurial and economic activities of rural enterprises, start-up businesses in the informal sector (farmer groups, etc.), sustainable eco-friendly enterprises and Information Technology (IT) and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) related services and products.
She said the total investments per micro project was a minimum GH¢5,000 and a maximum GH¢10,000, with a focus on capital investment and capacity building.
Outlining procedures governing the foundation, Ms Fiagbenu said every participant in the scheme was given business training as part of the package, adding that for the pilot project, the foundation enlisted individuals who were already in some sort of trade or small business.
“All enlisted individuals are mandated to open a bank account with a rural bank or the nearest bank which will be negotiated by MTN Ghana, and they must also sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to work with the bank or a third party to practise basic book-keeping to help generate financial records and input monitoring and evaluation reports,” she said.
A senior manager with MTN Ghana Foundation, Mr Robert Kuzoe, said globally, the MTN Foundation concentrated on four focus areas: Health, Education, Economic Empowerment & Music, Arts & Culture.
He said the foundation also decided to focus on Health and Education for the formative years due to its critical role in fostering the well-being of communities.
According to him, in April 2011, the MTN Ghana Foundation Board approved the addition of Economic Empowerment focus to the activities of the Foundation. This was primarily to implement lessons learnt from the MTN Nigeria Foundation and also to get the opportunity to explore other areas of support.
The General Secretary of JBA, Mr Suleiman Mustapha, bemoaned the various challenges facing SMEs in relation to access to capital, lack of publicity, poor finishing and packaging of products as well as limited access to skills.
He thus called for government’s support at both the local and national level to develop SMEs in the country.
He said they must set a priority, determine national policies related to SME development and promotion and added that in developing such policies, the participatory approach should be adopted, which required that representatives of SMEs should be consulted and involved during all stages; from the identification and formulation of programmes till their implementation at both national and district levels.
The BUSAC Fund approved GH¢11.24 million for 362 business associations in all the 10 regions of the country to undertake projects such as infrastructure, standardisation, access to market, value chain, capacity building, and enforcement.
In addition to this, the Fund also created an application system to receive, screen, evaluate, select, approve and verify grant approvals.
http://www.graphic.com.gh/dailygraphic/index.php
AGI to train members in managerial skills dev’t
THE Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) is to train small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) to improve their business literacy levels and managerial skills.
The initiative, known as the SME Business Edge, is an innovation of the International Finance Corporation (IFC). The IFC specifically designed the toolkit towards the development of the human resource requirements of managers and key staff members and other stakeholders interested in developing the SMEs sector.
Business Edge was first developed in Vietnam and has been successfully deployed in China, Middle East and a number of African countries.
The objectives of the SME programme is to provide AGI members in the SME sector with relevant business training solutions and services to fulfill their individual business needs.
About 14 participants have so far been taken through an aspect of management crucial to the efficient running and understanding of a business, especially those suited for SME operations.
At the closing ceremony of the maiden training in Accra, the Vice President of AGI, Mr Samuel Agyapong Appenteng, said AGI was aiming at getting an accredited institution that could train people in business and entrepreneurial skills development.
“Though, our beginning is small, our end shall be big. It is said that when the axe is blunt, too much effort and strength is needed. For us, this training is important to sharpen our skills and find most efficient ways of doing things because the cost of non-quality can be very high,” he said.
He explained that the training was also intended to help change perceptions that SMEs were using obsolete equipment in their operations.
http://www.graphic.com.gh/dailygraphic/index.php
THE Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) is to train small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) to improve their business literacy levels and managerial skills.
The initiative, known as the SME Business Edge, is an innovation of the International Finance Corporation (IFC). The IFC specifically designed the toolkit towards the development of the human resource requirements of managers and key staff members and other stakeholders interested in developing the SMEs sector.
Business Edge was first developed in Vietnam and has been successfully deployed in China, Middle East and a number of African countries.
The objectives of the SME programme is to provide AGI members in the SME sector with relevant business training solutions and services to fulfill their individual business needs.
About 14 participants have so far been taken through an aspect of management crucial to the efficient running and understanding of a business, especially those suited for SME operations.
At the closing ceremony of the maiden training in Accra, the Vice President of AGI, Mr Samuel Agyapong Appenteng, said AGI was aiming at getting an accredited institution that could train people in business and entrepreneurial skills development.
“Though, our beginning is small, our end shall be big. It is said that when the axe is blunt, too much effort and strength is needed. For us, this training is important to sharpen our skills and find most efficient ways of doing things because the cost of non-quality can be very high,” he said.
He explained that the training was also intended to help change perceptions that SMEs were using obsolete equipment in their operations.
http://www.graphic.com.gh/dailygraphic/index.php
Use quality cables for installations - ECG
GHANAIANS have been urged to endeavour to use only certified and standard cables when extending electricity to their apartments and other buildings.
A Technical Engineer of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Mr Benjamin Ebo, said adhering to such an advice would save the public inconvenience and cost of frequently replacing electricity cables simply because they were sub-standard.
“Considering the cost of wiring a building, it would be a great damage for one to allow inferior cables to ruin his/her investment. If you are a contractor, I believe you can avoid lawsuit by using quality cable to work,” he said at a public education programme by Nexans Kabelmetal (Ghana) Limited.
The programme was part of GEREU 2012 Fair which ended on Thursday, September 27, at the Accra International Conference Centre in Accra.
The GEREU Fair is an annual industrial fair organised by the Ghanaian-German Economic Association (GGEA) for businesses within and outside the country.
This year’s event ran from September 25-27 and was attended by businesses from various sectors of the economy in and around the country.
It featured public education programmes which included the one by Nexans Kabelmetal, a manufacturer of various kinds of cables in the country.
Mr Ebo said Nexans had earned a name in the cable business as a result of its strict adherence to quality, and thus stressed the need for the company to do all it could to preserve the image.
The Commercial Manager of Nexans, Mr Aaron Sagoe, said at the forum that the company periodically embarked on outreach programmes following complaints of fake and sub-standard cables on the market, as well as reports of fire outbreaks.
“We recognise the need to use quality cables to save lives and property and so we see it as a duty to let the public know the distinction between quality and inferior cables,” he said.
Nexans Kabelmetal (GH) Ltd has over 40 years experience in the cable business, having been the first in the market in Ghana and West Africa at large.
A Senior Quality Control Supervisor of Nexans, Mr Seth Mensah, said electric products were high-risk products and as such consumers did not have to take chances but consider value for money.
“Our comparative test shows that some of the cables on the market are in poor quality (in terms of conductor insulation). They can cause fire outbreaks because the conductor is steel coated with copper,” he said.
About 70 companies exhibited industrial products and technology, including automotive parts and automobiles, financial services, water, sanitation and environment technologies, pharmaceuticals, oil, gas and mining, logistics and information and communications technology.
Other companies came from the telecommunications, building and construction, printing, plant installation and chemicals sectors.
http://www.graphic.com.gh/dailygraphic/index.php
GHANAIANS have been urged to endeavour to use only certified and standard cables when extending electricity to their apartments and other buildings.
A Technical Engineer of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Mr Benjamin Ebo, said adhering to such an advice would save the public inconvenience and cost of frequently replacing electricity cables simply because they were sub-standard.
“Considering the cost of wiring a building, it would be a great damage for one to allow inferior cables to ruin his/her investment. If you are a contractor, I believe you can avoid lawsuit by using quality cable to work,” he said at a public education programme by Nexans Kabelmetal (Ghana) Limited.
The programme was part of GEREU 2012 Fair which ended on Thursday, September 27, at the Accra International Conference Centre in Accra.
The GEREU Fair is an annual industrial fair organised by the Ghanaian-German Economic Association (GGEA) for businesses within and outside the country.
This year’s event ran from September 25-27 and was attended by businesses from various sectors of the economy in and around the country.
It featured public education programmes which included the one by Nexans Kabelmetal, a manufacturer of various kinds of cables in the country.
Mr Ebo said Nexans had earned a name in the cable business as a result of its strict adherence to quality, and thus stressed the need for the company to do all it could to preserve the image.
The Commercial Manager of Nexans, Mr Aaron Sagoe, said at the forum that the company periodically embarked on outreach programmes following complaints of fake and sub-standard cables on the market, as well as reports of fire outbreaks.
“We recognise the need to use quality cables to save lives and property and so we see it as a duty to let the public know the distinction between quality and inferior cables,” he said.
Nexans Kabelmetal (GH) Ltd has over 40 years experience in the cable business, having been the first in the market in Ghana and West Africa at large.
A Senior Quality Control Supervisor of Nexans, Mr Seth Mensah, said electric products were high-risk products and as such consumers did not have to take chances but consider value for money.
“Our comparative test shows that some of the cables on the market are in poor quality (in terms of conductor insulation). They can cause fire outbreaks because the conductor is steel coated with copper,” he said.
About 70 companies exhibited industrial products and technology, including automotive parts and automobiles, financial services, water, sanitation and environment technologies, pharmaceuticals, oil, gas and mining, logistics and information and communications technology.
Other companies came from the telecommunications, building and construction, printing, plant installation and chemicals sectors.
http://www.graphic.com.gh/dailygraphic/index.php
Govt to boost non-traditional exports with percentage of oil money
The non-traditional exports (NTE) sector is to receive a percentage of oil revenue to boost its operations, the Vice-President, Mr Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, has said.
In a speech read on his behalf at this year’s National Awards for Export Achievement in Accra last Friday, Mr Amissah-Arthur said Ghana produced many good and quality products and services, but was unable to market them effectively on the international market.
“We can cite examples such as our own “Bolga baskets” and “puna” yams. I, therefore, urge stakeholders in the Ghanaian export sector, especially the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), to take immediate steps to begin the branding process of our major non-traditional export products and services,” he said.
The awards event was on the theme, “Providing Sustainable Motivation for Export Excellence.”
The National Awards for Export Achievement was instituted in 1989 by the GEPA in line with government efforts to stimulate growth of NTEs and to cushion the adverse effects of volatility on earnings from traditional exports.
It has since recognised and awarded about 700 export companies. It is also facilitating efforts of institutions to deliver in their distinct services in the sector.
In the speech read on his behalf by Mr Stephen Amoanor Quao, the Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Welfare, Vice-President Amissah-Arthur said while the government was doing everything possible at both the micro and macro levels to restore confidence in the economy, actors in the export sector needed to display a high sense of conscientiousness and determination in their operations to enhance investor interest in the domestic economy.
“By this, I mean areas such as medical tourism, information technology, education, and football, as well as consultancy services, should be seriously considered,” he said.
Five categories of awards were given at the ceremony. They were Special Honorary, Silver, Gold, Most-delivered, and Platinum.
Selection of awardees for the honours involved a shortlisting of all exporters who have minimum export earning benchmark for products of US$200,000.
Mrs Margaret Tweneboa-Boateng of Excel Industries Ltd, an aluminium household utensils company, received the Woman Exporter of the Year award, while Interplast Limited, manufacturers of plastics products, received the Exporter of the Year award.
The Platinum award went to Cocoa Processing Company Ltd (CPC), manufacturers of chocolate, cocoa butter, cocoa paste and cocoa powder, while Ernimich Limited, a food processing company, received the most diversified award.
Gold award winners included Azar Chemical Industries Limited (household paint), Logs & Lumber Ltd (builders’ woodwork), PZ Cussons Limited (soaps), Ghana Nuts Company Ltd (shea oil,) and Pinora Limited (fruit concentrate, orange).
Special honorary awards went to Dayash Ventures, Craftman Studios, Chocho Industries Limited, Naasakle Limited, Ebenut Ghana and Integrated Tamale Fruit Company.
The acting Chief Executive Officer of GEPA, Mr Stephen Normeshie, said the Ghana Export School had introduced enhanced trade-related human resource capacity-building programmes aimed at further improving the competitiveness of the Ghanaian exporter.
He said the authority also embarked on an extensive awareness in service export in the Volta, Central, Western, Ashanti and Greater Accra regions early this year.
He was optimistic that the exercise would greatly help in growing the NTE sector.
“In view of the positive interventions from the government that the exporter community is currently receiving, we wish to assure you that we will strive to consolidate and even deepen the gains we are making to ensure that the NTE sector does not only exceed the set target of US$5 billion by 2015, but also contribute more than a quarter of total exports from Ghana,” Mr Normeshie said.
http://www.graphic.com.gh/dailygraphic/index.php
Cassava, yam farmers to reap higher values
GROWERS of cassava and yam, two of the country’s commonest staple foods, are set to reap higher values from their produce following an intervention by the Food Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to reduce physical and ehttp://www.graphic.com.gh/dailygraphic/index.phpconomic losses of yam and cassava.
The CSIR will ensure that through a project dubbed “Gains from Losses of Root and Tuber Crops” (GRATITUDE), a four-year European Union (EU) funded project will also seeks to add value to the tubers by processing them into other forms of finished and preserveable products.
GRATITUDE is being done in collaboration with the Natural Resources Institute (NRI, UK) and YIFSWA of NIGERIA. Thailand, Holland and Vietnam are also working on similar projects.
On the theme, “Reducing Post-Harvest Losses for Increased Security”, the project is specifically focused on three key areas; Reduction of physical losses by focusing on storage of fresh yams; value-added processing to reduce physical and economic losses in yam and cassava, improved utilisation of wastes (peels, liquid waste, spent brewery waste) to produce products for human consumption such as snacks, production of mushrooms and improved animal feed.
The Business Development Advisor (CAVA Project) of the CSIR, Mrs Marian Tandoh Wordey, told the Daily Graphic that by focusing on the three areas, GRATITUDE would help to enhance the role that the crops played in food and income security.
She added that it would also help to create additional value in rural settings, generate income and employment and develop a more favourable balance of trade for the country.
Mrs Wordey said the project, which began early this year, would also develop a best practice and new technologies for agronomists, agricultural students, and other stakeholders, not only in Ghana but also around the world.
She explained that so far, the project had conducted appraisals of the yam and cassava value chain conducted in parts of Kintampo, Techiman and Atebubu-Amantin.
“It identified actors in the yam value chain; their roles and responsibilities; mapped out the relationships between them; investigated challenges and coping strategies; and focus group discussions (FGDs) method of data collection was used,” she explained.
She outlined some of the achievements of the project as the successful appraisal of yam value chain, training of researchers on value chain assessment and management and the starting of initial field work on value chain assessment.
The project had also identified and selected improved yam storage structures for construction at farm gates. Key yam varieties have also been identified.
Mrs Wordy said GRATITUDE project website was presently under construction, while composite from cassava peels had been developed for mushroom production.
Nevertheless, she said some challenge encountered included how to establish accurate volumes of waste generated from cassava and yams and identifying more financially feasible up-scaling opportunities that would be spurred by technology.
In sub-Saharan Africa, about 700 million people depend on cassava and yam as important root and tubers in the food systems and as food security crops.
Statistics by the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAOSTAT, 2008) show that the world production of cassava is 228 million metric tonnes and 52 metric tonnes of yams are produced around the world annually, with Ghana contributing five per cent as the world’s sixth highest producer of cassava, after Nigeria, Brazil, Thailand, Indonesia and DR Congo. Ghana is, therefore, the second largest producer of cassava in Africa with a total output of 12.2 million tonnes per annum.
Again, root and tuber crop production steadily increased from 688 metric tonnes in 2001 to 740 metric tonnes in 2007.
The crops, however, record between 30 per cent and 60 per cent losses in their post-harvest periods either through processing or food chain, leading to losses in their economic value, physical losses and bio-wastes.
In Ghana, a total of 3.7 million tonnes of cassava peels(waste) are generated annually. Peels are generated at the processing (for gari, agbelima, kokonte and high quality cassava flour) and consumption levels (fresh cassava used in households and chop bars).
GROWERS of cassava and yam, two of the country’s commonest staple foods, are set to reap higher values from their produce following an intervention by the Food Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to reduce physical and ehttp://www.graphic.com.gh/dailygraphic/index.phpconomic losses of yam and cassava.
The CSIR will ensure that through a project dubbed “Gains from Losses of Root and Tuber Crops” (GRATITUDE), a four-year European Union (EU) funded project will also seeks to add value to the tubers by processing them into other forms of finished and preserveable products.
GRATITUDE is being done in collaboration with the Natural Resources Institute (NRI, UK) and YIFSWA of NIGERIA. Thailand, Holland and Vietnam are also working on similar projects.
On the theme, “Reducing Post-Harvest Losses for Increased Security”, the project is specifically focused on three key areas; Reduction of physical losses by focusing on storage of fresh yams; value-added processing to reduce physical and economic losses in yam and cassava, improved utilisation of wastes (peels, liquid waste, spent brewery waste) to produce products for human consumption such as snacks, production of mushrooms and improved animal feed.
The Business Development Advisor (CAVA Project) of the CSIR, Mrs Marian Tandoh Wordey, told the Daily Graphic that by focusing on the three areas, GRATITUDE would help to enhance the role that the crops played in food and income security.
She added that it would also help to create additional value in rural settings, generate income and employment and develop a more favourable balance of trade for the country.
Mrs Wordey said the project, which began early this year, would also develop a best practice and new technologies for agronomists, agricultural students, and other stakeholders, not only in Ghana but also around the world.
She explained that so far, the project had conducted appraisals of the yam and cassava value chain conducted in parts of Kintampo, Techiman and Atebubu-Amantin.
“It identified actors in the yam value chain; their roles and responsibilities; mapped out the relationships between them; investigated challenges and coping strategies; and focus group discussions (FGDs) method of data collection was used,” she explained.
She outlined some of the achievements of the project as the successful appraisal of yam value chain, training of researchers on value chain assessment and management and the starting of initial field work on value chain assessment.
The project had also identified and selected improved yam storage structures for construction at farm gates. Key yam varieties have also been identified.
Mrs Wordy said GRATITUDE project website was presently under construction, while composite from cassava peels had been developed for mushroom production.
Nevertheless, she said some challenge encountered included how to establish accurate volumes of waste generated from cassava and yams and identifying more financially feasible up-scaling opportunities that would be spurred by technology.
In sub-Saharan Africa, about 700 million people depend on cassava and yam as important root and tubers in the food systems and as food security crops.
Statistics by the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAOSTAT, 2008) show that the world production of cassava is 228 million metric tonnes and 52 metric tonnes of yams are produced around the world annually, with Ghana contributing five per cent as the world’s sixth highest producer of cassava, after Nigeria, Brazil, Thailand, Indonesia and DR Congo. Ghana is, therefore, the second largest producer of cassava in Africa with a total output of 12.2 million tonnes per annum.
Again, root and tuber crop production steadily increased from 688 metric tonnes in 2001 to 740 metric tonnes in 2007.
The crops, however, record between 30 per cent and 60 per cent losses in their post-harvest periods either through processing or food chain, leading to losses in their economic value, physical losses and bio-wastes.
In Ghana, a total of 3.7 million tonnes of cassava peels(waste) are generated annually. Peels are generated at the processing (for gari, agbelima, kokonte and high quality cassava flour) and consumption levels (fresh cassava used in households and chop bars).
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