Minister Calls For Education On Loan Facilities For Women

The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Affram Asiedu has called for an intensive education on existing loan facilities for small-scale businesses and market women in the country.
    
According to him, despite the several loan facilities available and meant for the informal sector, most market women complained of lack of avenues to access loans for the expansion of their businesses.
    
He mentioned the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) and the Micro Assistance and Small Loans Centre (Masloc) as some of the institutions that needed to intensify their awareness for many people to access their services.
    
Mr Affram Asiedu made the remarks when he visited the Regional and District offices of the NBBSI in Koforidua in the Eastern Region yesterday as part of his working tour of institutions, agencies and departments in the region.
    
He said government recognised the contribution of the informal sector in the socio-economic development of the country and was therefore committed to measures that would improve upon their businesses.
    
The official visit took him to the Public Records and Archives Department (PRAAD), Rent Control, National Service Secretariat (NSS), Labour and Community Development Departments, ITTU, Parks and Gardens and COCOBOD.
    
Heads of the various departments complained of understaffing, poor working environment and obsolete equipments that made working difficult and appealed to the Minister to use his office to redress the situation.
    
At separate meetings with workers of the institutions visited, the Regional Minister urged them to give off their best as their contribution to the development of the country.
    
Responding to the appeals, he assured the workers that government acknowledged their problems, hence the mandate of the Public Sector Reforms to address them.  He however commended the workers for their output in the face of the enormous challenges and pledged with the Regional Coordinating Councils to support them in all their endeavors.