Regional News of Wednesday, 7 March 2012

Source: GNA

BUSAC Fund trains tipper truck drivers and mates

The Business Sector Advocacy Challenge (BUSAC) Fund has organized a four-day training programme for 30 tipper truck drivers, mates and truck owners in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis at Takoradi.

Mr Lord-Lucas Vodzi, the lead facilitator, said the programme was to equip the participants with the necessary skills for advocacy to enable them engage the authorities effectively in dialogue.

He said the programme would also help change the attitude of participants in the way they do business and help them relate well with each other and work as a team.

Mr Vodzi said after the training, the participants would use the skills acquired to advocate for land to build a heavy duty station in the metropolis.

He said the metropolis does not have a station for the Tipper Truck Drivers Association and this sometimes prompts members of the association to park anywhere.

Mr Vodzi said the members are charged unauthorized tolls for parking at unapproved spaces and this was affecting their businesses.

He said the BUSAC Fund has 20 million dollars available for advocacy for private sector groups and those eligible are business associations, trade unions, associations within the media landscape and farmer-based organizations.

Mr Vodzi said the fund was being supported by the DANIDA, USAID and the European Union adding its objective is to strengthen private sector groups through advocacy to remove bottlenecks in their operations.