By Emmanuel AKOMEA
Chief Director at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI), Patrick Yaw Nimo, has emphasised the critical importance of strategic interventions to enhance the smooth and competitive operation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
In a speech read on his behalf by the senior commercial officer at MoTI, Kofi Addo, at the 3rd Cluster International Conference, he stressed the critical role of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in driving economic growth and development.
“MSMEs continue to be the backbone of our economies, and any strategic intervention to enhance their smooth operations and competitiveness – especially, at this crucial time of our economic development – is highly commended,” he stated.
As part of efforts to ensure SMEs’ competitiveness, the ministry has prioritised financial, technical and business support services to enhance their smooth operations and competitiveness under the umbrella of Ghana Enterprises Agency, Ghana Export Promotion Authority, Ghana Standards Authority and National Coordinating Office of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The conference provided a platform to discuss and share sustainable solutions and innovations targetted at boosting industrial competitiveness for Ghanaian entrepreneurs in the cassava, fruit and cosmetics sectors.
Over 200 participants comprising SMEs supported by the EU-funded West African Competitiveness Programme (WACOMP), implemented by UNIDO and MoTI, and delegations from ECOWAS, Liberia, Nigeria and Austria strengthened connections to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) while participating.
The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) Officer in Charge of Ghana and Liberia, Stavros Papastavrou, noted the strong cooperation between UNIDO and the government of Ghana, citing their joint commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
He highlighted UNIDO’s support to SMEs competitiveness and collective efficiency, agribusinesses, skills development, renewable energy, Kaizen expansion and quality, which are all geared to enhance value addition, sustainable production and access to regional and global markets.
Mrs. Malgorzata Pitura from the Macro-Economic and Trade Section of the European Delegation to Ghana said WACOMP-Ghana is one of the EU’s flagship programmes. She added: “Supporting SMEs to facilitate their integration in regional and international markets proves to be a strategic approach that ensures Ghana actively participates in opportunities offered by the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.”
The UNIDO Industrial Development Expert and WACOMP-Ghana Project Manager, Mrs. Ebe Muschialli, shared excitement about the progressive success of UNIDO-supported SMEs under the WACOMP.
“Many of these entrepreneurs have evolved from struggling to comply with market requirements to being part of Ghanaian delegations in international markets. Their products have improved, the value-added locally has increased and the packaging and branding has become much more attractive. All this with a strong impact on the local communities in terms of job creation and women’s economic empowerment,” she said.
Chief Technical Advisor of WACOMP-Ghana, Dr. Charles Kwame Sackey, commended the various clusters whose products have drastically improved over the past five years. He recounted how many SMEs struggled to implement basic Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) at the beginning, and how through WACOMP’s support most of the SMEs have become competitive in both national and international markets.
