From Ernest Best Anane
The Business Advisory Centre (BAC) of Sekyere Afram Plains District, in conjunction with the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) and the Rural Enterprises Programme (REP), is providing immediate interventions in technical and financial support to micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to alleviate poverty in the district.
The lead financing stakeholder, REP, through the MSME, has developed poverty alleviating interventions such as the provision of graduate apprentices start-up kits, providing funding for training, and recurrent and Rural Enterprises Development Funds (REDF), a loan component that caters for the capital growth in businesses, and Matching Grant Fund (MGF), a loan component that caters for the provision of appropriate equipment to ensure business growth among others.
Training in Soap Making
As a result, the Drobonso Business Advisory Centre (BAC) has undertaken four community-based skills training (CBT) programmes, two agricultural commodity processing infrastructural development (ACPID) and two management development service (MDS) activities for some qualified beneficiaries in the district.
The training programmes included soap production at Issah, beekeeping training at Dagomba, guinea fowl rearing at Issah, and soap production at Drobonso Konkomba, following which a total of 120 persons, comprising 63 females and 5 males, have benefited since June this year.
Also about 116 persons, comprising 53 females and 6 males, have also undergone training programmes, including pepper sauce production at Pepease, beekeeping training at Bahankra, and palm kernel extraction at Kumawu Zongo.
The head of the BAC, Mr. Tchedre Ibrahim, advised the participants to quickly get into production, in order to stand the chance to qualify for more goodies from the REP.
The District Chief Executive, Fuseini Donkor, through his District Co-ordinating Director, Mr. Johnson Nyarko, admonished the beneficiaries to take what was taught seriously, in order to have meaningful and decent livelihoods.
The DCE gave the assurance that the assembly would continue to assist serious beneficiaries, and advised them to register their businesses and keep proper records, just as they have been taught.