By Issah Mohammed
Accra, Aug 12, GNA – About 80 physically challenged entrepreneurs in the Greater Accra region have benefited from a capacity-building programme under the Economic Empowerment project for Persons with Disability (PWD).
The beneficiaries at the MSME clinic were taken through modules to improve their business management skills and also offered the opportunity to interact with representatives from key private sector institutions in the finance and commerce space.
The Economic Empowerment Programme, funded by Sightsavers International, is aimed at supporting PWDs, who are either job seekers or entrepreneurs to respectively have gainful employment or expand their business operations through capacity building, access to markets and credit facilities.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Madam Grace Akua Mahmood, Programme Officer for the Project, said it was important for PWDs to participate, benefit and contribute to the development of the country through effective participation in employment.
She said the design of the economic empowerment project was based on the outcome of a survey that highlighted the gaps that existed in the employment of persons with disabilities.
“PWDs will require in addition to their educational qualification, enhance their self-skills thus, how to participate in interviews, write a winning CV, networking and what have you to get them into the work employment.
“We also realised that even though some persons with disabilities are doing their businesses, there is a gap when it comes to the business management and especially growing the businesses into the next level where they begin to appreciate in their profits and also get their businesses registered, get financial inclusion and even the recognition as well as patronage from the Ghanaian society,” she said.
Mr Phillip Duah, the Executive Director of Abak Foundation, an implementing partner of the project, said so far, about 360 PWDs had benefited from both the formal job seekers support and the micro business components of the project.
Madam Grace Akosua Dzeble, Head of Marketing, Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industries, urged the entrepreneurs to formalise their operations by registering their businesses with the Registrar of Companies.
Doing so, she said, would afford them the opportunity to register with the chamber and take advantage of the opportunities that were available for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to grow.
Some MSMEs were afforded the opportunity to showcase their products and services at an exhibition as part of the programme.
GNA