GJA/BUSAC courts Committee on Trade …to develop SME sector
Developing the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SME) in Ghana has been identified as a key component of steps at eradicating widespread poverty in the country. To this end, executives of the Ghana Journalist Association (GJA) and management of KAB Governance Consult, a media consultancy firm has engaged the Parliamentary Select Committee on Trade and Industry in an interaction on ways of combining synergy for the sectors development. The interaction was part of the GJA/BUSAC media advocacy project.
Hon. Isaac Osei, Ranking Member of the Committee and Member of Parliament for Subin, noted that the SME sector formed a vibrant subset of the private sector which needs to be enhanced for the economic development of the country. He noted that for the sector to develop the managerial capacity of the sector in areas of financial management, good record keeping and good business practice needed to be enhanced.
However, he said more advocacy work was needed to be done to make the private sector the engine of growth of the country. He lamented over a disturbing development in the country where the retail trade, which is the reserve of the indigenes, have been taken up by foreigners. He thus called for immediate steps to flush out foreigners in that sector.
The Subin Legislator said the committee would recommend to government to re-introduce the Business Advisory Centre (BAC) services nationwide to provide an advisory role on improvement in the sector to play its role in the national economy. He also urged District Assemblies to consider generating revenue internally to support SMEs in the various districts.
Mr. Kwasi Afriyie-Badu, Chief Executive Officer of KAB Governance Consult, called for the involvement of SMEs operators in the fixing of rates as stipulated in the 1992 Constitution.
He said research conducted into the operations of SMEs in the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) indicated that some laws pertaining to their operations were being flouted.
“We also discovered that deduction from the District Assemblies Common Fund by the government and items purchased without resolutions by the assemblies are not proper and a strain on the fund,” Mr. Afriyie-Badu said. He added that deductions made from the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) at source was affecting operations of most of the assemblies because it made them less resourced and unable to support the SME's.
Mr. Bright Blewu, General Secretary of GJA, said the project is being implemented nationwide to promote SMEs through advocacy and the engagement of the media in their activities.