By Philip Tengzu, GNA
Bole, (S/R), March 09, GNA – Beneficiaries of the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Productivity Ecosystems for Decent Work (PE4DW) Project in the Savannah Region have recounted the positive impact of the enterprise training intervention on the development of their enterprises.
The project, through its Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprises (SCORE) training, exposed the participants to proper business management practices, effective communication, financial management, and product quality assurance, among other skills.
Ms Amina Mumuni of Amishea Company Ltd at Bole, a beneficiary, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that her enterprise recognised the need to engage a Marketing Strategist as a result of the training.
She made the statement during an event in Bole organised by the ILO to present certificates to the beneficiary enterprises.
A total of ten shea-processing enterprises in the region received the business management skills training, which aimed to enhance productivity and promote decent work practices within their firms, impacting 574 members across the ten enterprises.
The PE4DW project, a global multi-country initiative implemented in Ghana, South Africa, and Vietnam, was being funded by the governments of Switzerland and Norway through the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD).
Forty participants from ten enterprises underwent a series of training and factory-based coaching, with the expectation that they would cascade the knowledge and skills to other workers within their organisations.
“Initially, we were operating normally and somehow informally, but after the training, we realised we need to be more formal as an enterprise and improve on our visibility and marketing strategy”, Ms Mumuni explained.
Similarly, Mr Adam Saana of Titiaka CMA, a beneficiary enterprise at Damango, indicated that the training had enabled them to expand operations and increase membership from 36 to 53 people.
The beneficiaries expressed gratitude to the ILO for the intervention, noting that it had helped them improve operations and engage more people who would otherwise have been unemployed.
In a speech read on his behalf, Mr David Marcos, the PE4DW Project Manager, explained that the training formed part of efforts to strengthen productivity drivers at enterprise levels.
“The programme seeks to promote productivity growth for decent work by combining different approaches that strengthen productivity drivers across policy, sector, and enterprise levels”, he said.
He added that while high productivity could lead to higher remuneration and improved working conditions, better working conditions could further increase productivity.
Mr Marcos said that the initiative in the Shea sector demonstrates the ILO’s commitment to supporting development in northern Ghana, which he described as vulnerable but with enormous growth potential.
Hajia Rabiatu Abukari, President of the Ghana Shea Employers Association, commended the ILO and its partners for their continued support of the shea industry in Ghana, particularly in the northern regions.
Mr Abukari Ibrahim, the Savannah Regional Labour Officer, expressed optimism about the training’s impact on creating decent job opportunities for unemployed youth.
He urged the beneficiaries to apply the knowledge acquired to sustain their businesses and remain competitive and responsible.
The beneficiaries were also taken through mental health and psychosocial support, which was necessary for increased productivity.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/Linda Asante Agyei