By Emelia B. Addae
Koforidua, Aug. 17, GNA – The Association of Small-Scale Industries (ASSI), in collaboration with the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA), has organised an executive mentorship and coaching training programme for trade association executives in the Eastern Region.
The programme, held in Koforidua, brought together executives of various trade associations from the 33 municipal and districts in the region.
The participating district and municipal executives included chairpersons, vice chairpersons, secretaries, and organisers.
Addressing participants, Mr Abdallah Samari, General Secretary of ASS said the programme formed part of the Business in a Box (BizBox) Project being implemented by the GEA with sponsorship from the Mastercard Foundation to strengthen the capacity of industry players and support the development of sustainable businesses.
He said the BizBox Project focused on equipping young people with vocational and business management skills, providing them with tools and starter kits for their trades, connecting new micro businesses to buyers, and supporting business registration and certification.
Mr Christian Balagi, National President of ASSI, said the mentorship and coaching programme was designed to promote personal growth, strengthen leadership capacity and improve workplace performance.
He explained that while mentoring provided long-term career guidance and support, coaching focused on short-term skill development, adding that the two approaches could help address skills gaps, improve job satisfaction, and enable businesses to retain skilled personnel.
He described mastercraft persons in the Eastern Region as a pivotal link in the industrial sector because of their role in training apprentices who would eventually become mastercraft persons themselves.
“We are here to take them through mentoring and coaching. We have observed that in our various workshops, we only end at the stage of coaching and do not continue mentoring the apprentices after they have left us. We want to change that trend,” he said.
Mr Balagi encouraged mastercraft persons to embrace innovation and continuously upgrade their skills to remain relevant in the changing business environment.
“If you are not innovative, you are out of business. To all artisans across board, the encouragement is that we should not stop learning. Keep learning and be abreast with the times so that we will not be out of business,” he said.
Mr Alfred Yaw Kissi, the Eastern Regional Chairman of ASSI, said although formal mentorship was a relatively new approach within the association, it was a key component of the programme because it provided experienced industry players with the opportunity to transfer valuable knowledge, skills and experience to others.
He said the initiative would strengthen professional relationships, promote knowledge sharing, and help build stronger and more supportive business communities in the region.
Mr Lord-Lucas Vodzi, a Chartered Environmentalist and facilitator for the programme, said effective mentorship practices required open communication and a safe learning environment.
He urged mentors to outline clear goals and responsibilities, establish expectations, and build trust and rapport with mentees.
Mr Vodzi said many artisans in Ghana were not sufficiently exposed to modern business practices and needed to adjust to the increasingly dynamic and global nature of commerce.
“Today’s business world is dynamic and global; you can work from anywhere,” he said.
He encouraged artisans to move beyond operating solely from their physical shops and build professional networks across regions to expand their markets and increase their earnings.
Ms Adelaide Asantewa, New Juaben South Municipal Secretary of the Ghana Hairdressers and Beauticians Association (GHABA), said women in the industry sometimes faced misunderstandings and conflicts when working together.
She said the training had equipped participants with the emotional maturity needed to manage such challenges and promote teamwork.
“We must ensure we connect with one another and embrace teamwork to improve our businesses,” she said.
Ms Asantewa also encouraged members to mentor colleagues who lacked particular skills to ensure that practitioners across the industry were able to provide quality services.
GNA
Editing by D. I. Laary/Linda Asante Agyei
Reporter: Emelia B. Addae
Email: [email protected]