STORY BY INFORMATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT

The Business Advisory Center (BAC) of Ghana Enterprises Agency, Ga Central Municipal Assembly, organized a stakeholders’ forum on Ghana Jobs and skills project on Tuesday, 25th October, 2022, at the China- Ghana Community Center (Maranatha University), Sowutuom.
The forum was held to engage stakeholders including business owners, associations, entrepreneurs and persons who have the potential and willingness to establish their own business, on how the Government of Ghana seeks to support entrepreneurial skills as well as businesses with entrepreneurship training and start-up grants to help them expand their businesses so they are able to employ others.

Gracing the occasion were Hon. George Adu Darko, Presiding Member for Ga Central Municipal Assembly, Hon. Joseph Asare, Assembly member for Lomnava, Hon. Nana Kwesi Boandwoah, Assembly member for Santamaria, Hon. Asafo Adjei, Assembly member for Kwashiebu, Tenkorang Amoabeng, Municipal Information Officer, Juliana Bemah Adubofour, Head, Business Advisory Center (Ga West), Fred Ampiah, Head, BAC (Ga South) and staff of the Assembly.
Juliana Bemah Adubofour, Head of Business Advisory Center, Ga West, in a presentation explained the role of the Government of Ghana in helping to project a vibrant and sustainable Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises ( MSME) within the Ga Central Municipality and the country as a whole.
Madam Juliana explained the eligibility criteria for persons to be able to qualify for the grant. She said, the project involved youth between 18-40 years that would be given entrepreneurship training and start-up grants to be able to start their own businesses and those that have already existing businesses and are seeking support to help grow the business.

The entrepreneurship training would be in 3 levels (Basic, Intermediate and Advanced) and will be based on standardized, quality-assured packages customized to the baseline needs and abilities of the target beneficiary population in the municipality. The business start-up grants will deploy financial support to selected youth who successfully undergo training up to the intermediate level.
The Head of BAC at Ga West also disclosed that the grant support will be very competitive but encouraged stakeholders to be resilient in their pursuance for the grant.
Madam Juliana went on further to say in her presentation that the support could be in a form of funds (work capital), raw materials, equipment, maintenance, marketing expenses, ICT, Business solution,
Regulatory and Formalization grant support (FDA, GSA) She therefore encouraged stakeholders present who have at least completed JHS and are between the ages of 18 and 40 years to get seriously involved.

Head of BAC at the Ga Central Municipal Assembly, Benjamin Tetteh Addo, then took the stakeholders through the Ghana Jobs and Skills project’s application portal.
Mr. Tetteh Addo took time to go through the steps for applying and how interested persons can apply. After his submission, participants were allowed to ask questions where they were duly answered by the facilitators.
The Presiding Member for Ga Central Municipal Assembly, Hon. George Adu Darko, in a closing remark advised participants to take advantage of the opportunity the Government is offering and make something meaningful out of it. He re-echoed the importance of gaining some form of training as a business owner and how positive it can impact on ones’ business. The program ended successfully with both facilitators and participants taking a group photograph.