'SMEs must use modern technology'

The Chief Director of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Mr Nii Ansah-Adjei, has asked Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to adopt effective strategies for their businesses and make use of modern technology  to access  global markets.

He said one effective way for the local industry, especially small-scale businesses, to expand their goods and services and increase their cash flows was for them to target the foreign market.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of a workshop for women entrepreneurs in Tema, Mr Ansah-Adjei, said since the private sector of every country thrived on the activities of small-scale businesses, there was the need for local industry to devise ways to attract bigger markets.

“As an entrepreneur, your major goal is to go beyond your country and think of how best you can access the global markets, since it is the only platform to reap the full benefits of your businesses,” he said.

Mr Ansah-Adjei said although the government was putting in place measures to support local industries, particularly small-scale businesses, it was up to entrepreneurs to discover ways to market their own goods.

About the workshop

The one-month training workshop, organised by the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) in partnership with the Tema Business Advisory Centre, was aimed at equipping women entrepreneurs in Tema with effective financial management and the use of ICT to boost their businesses.

Sponsored by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the programme is being implemented under the Industrial Sector Support Programme (ISSP), which seeks to ensure that the country’s industrial policy measures and incentives also benefit women entrepreneurs.

The 35 participants in the workshop were awarded certificates, qualifying them to access loans from NBSSI.

In his welcome address, the Executive Director of NBSSI, Mr Lukman Abdul-Rahim, said the training workshop was to enhance the capacity of female entrepreneurs in Tema.

Mr Abdul-Rahim said the NBSSI was in consultation with financial institutions towards securing support to boost the activities of the local industry.

“We have also been able to secure GH¢3 million from the Export Development and Agricultural Investment Fund (EDAIF) to support small-scale businesses,” Mr Abdul-Rahim noted.

For her part, the Director of Women Entrepreneurship Development Department of NBSSI, Ms Habiba Sumani, commended the participants for their commitment to the workshop and urged them to use the knowledge they had acquired to grow their businesses.