JICA to build capacities of MSMSEs in N/Region
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has rolled out its Kaizen (improvement) project to build the capacities of micro, small and medium scale enterprises (MSMSEs) in the Northern Region.
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It followed its successful pilot in the Ashanti Region where more than 36 MSMSEs capacities were improved to increase productivity.
The programme would be implemented in three other regions after its successful operations in the Northern and Ashanti regions.
Concept
Kaizen is a Japanese word which means, continuous improvement. It is used to describe a company’s culture where each individual in an institution, from the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to the front desk person regularly evaluate their work to improve on their performance.
To implement the concept successfully, it is compulsory for all employees to receive basic training and guidelines on what to do to enhance quality and productivity at the workplace.
So far, the concept has been adopted by Toyota and other Japanese companies worldwide.
The concept that was launched in Accra in 2015 is expected to end in 2018.
Project
At an evaluation and knowledge-sharing workshop in Accra last Monday, the senior representative of JICA, Mr Norihito Yonebayashi said the Kaizen concept was a three-year project aimed at developing the capacities of MSMSEs together with the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) to provide business development services (BDS) for Ghanaian businesses.
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He explained that officers at the NBSSI would receive training on the concept and methodologies of the Kaizen to train business owners in the country for free.
“For easy implementation of the project activities, each target region will be focused in a particular year; 2016 has been dedicated to the Northern Region, 2017 for Brong Ahafo and 2018 for the Central Region,” he indicated.
Benefits
According to Mr Yonebayashi, the project is expected to benefit a total of 190 MSMSEs in the selected regions. He expressed the hope that the capacities of businesses would be boosted to enable them compete globally.
“As a result of the implementation of the Kaizen tools to support product packaging at the syrup section of one of the selected MSMSEs, syrup production per worker has increased by 20 per cent,” he stated.
Mr Yonebayashi added that, “it is also expected that the capacities of the MSMSEs can be further enhanced to enable them contribute towards stimulating growth in the national economy.”
Collaboration
A deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Murtala Mohammed, pledged the government’s continuous collaboration with JICA to improve on the capacities of businesses in the country.
He expressed appreciation to JICA for their support to the country.