SEKONDI ENTREPRENEURS, UNDP INTERACT (PAGE 18)

Members of the Sekondi/Takoradi Chamber of Commerce and Industry have met some directors of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Takoradi to discuss issues which will contribute positively to the businesses of members of the chamber.
Members of the chamber raised issues such as the setting up of an Information and Communication Technology centre, institutional assessment, skills development, institutional strengthening, advocacy and sensitisation of the chamber as well as an exhibition centre for the showcasing of their products.
Speaking at the meeting, the Partnership Advisor of the UNDP, Mr Fredrick Ampiah, stressed the need for the chamber to arrive at one concrete intervention, which could be implemented for non-members to appreciate the seriousness of the chamber.
Mr Ampiah said the UNDP had ongoing programmes which had links with what members of the chamber were doing.
He said mobilising resources was a process, and that there were a lot of funds which people could not access as a result of the cumbersome processes they had to go through. Mr Ampiah said those who managed the funds were assessed by the number of people who accessed the fund.
The Project Director of the Ghana Multimedia Incubator Centre, partners of the UNDP, Mr Solomon Asante Dartey, explained that the centre showed entrepreneurs of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) what contributed to the collapse of their businesses and how to speed up their revival.
He said the centre had helped 13 companies to come out with innovative products.
Mr Dartey noted that accessing funds by the SMEs was becoming difficult, and that the centre offered training programmes and guidance as well as counselling to help the enterprises to access the funds.
Also, he said, a business plan was important in any business activity, and that the centre could assist them to prepare strong business plans which could help them to access loans.
The Chairman of the Sekondi/Takoradi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr Ato Van-Ess, stressed the need for the development and resourcing of the staff of the chamber.
He said members of the chamber needed a lot of information to expand their respective businesses.