The national project coordinator – ILO-Score Ghana, Samuel Onoma-Asiedu, has noted that the Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprises (SCORE) is an ILO global programme that seeks to improve productivity and working conditions in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
SCORE was launched during 2011 in Ghana with funding from the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) of Switzerland, and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD); and since then, SCORE activities have been implemented in various phases – Phases 1, 2 and 3 which end at the close of 2021.
Consequently, an MoU between SCORE Ghana and the Management Development and Productivity Institute (MDPI) was signed on December 1, establishing a framework for cooperation between the ILO and MDPI that facilitates the transfer of responsibilities for the sustainability of SCORE training activities in Ghana.
It set out the goals and objectives agreed by the Parties for their collaboration during the implementation of a sustainability strategy for SCORE training in Ghana. Indeed, the MDPI has been an active implementation partner (IP) since the second phase of the project.
The institution has embedded SCORE training into its programmes for the private sector, and delivered training to a number of SMEs in the country.
Mr. Onoma-Asiedu stated that now and beyond 2021, the MDPI will have to take up the additional responsibilities of forging and managing partnerships with Development partners and IPs, and extending training to many more enterprises – while ensuring that the standard of SCORE training is maintained in Ghana.
About 215 SMEs have benefitted from SCORE training in the country, and some of the outcomes are production cost reduction; improved delivery time; better working conditions for employees; waste reduction; less defects and a safer working environment.
Kweku Odame-Takyi, Director-General-MDPI who signed on behalf of his outfit, noted that the MDPI has been in a working relationship with the ILO for about 50 years.
He noted that a beneficiary who encountered 30% wastage in their operations was after the training able to reduce waste to just 10%, lauding the training as impactful. He however told the B&FT in an interview that they are limited, since they have only 10 consultants for the training – who have to also visit the enterprises to see whether the training is impacting them.
A key component of SCORE is a training intervention that combines practical classroom lessons with in-factory coaching.
