Winneba, June 1, GNA - The Ghana Decent Work Pilot Programme (GDWPP) has since its inception two years ago in the Awutu-Effutu-Senya District, registered 6,000 Small Business Management Enterprises and Small Business Associations.

The organisation operating under the auspices of the International Labour Organization (ILO) has also spent about 270 million Cedis on capacity building, training, and preparation of manuals and consultancy to promote the objectives of the programme.

Mr Kwaku D. Osei-Bonsu, Senior Technical Specialist, Employment Intensive Works at the ILO Sub-Regional Office for Eastern Africa and Mr George Opoku, a private consultant, are the resource persons and directors of the workshop.

Mr Kwamina Amoasi Andoh, National Co-ordinator of the GDWPP disclosed these to the Ghana News in an interview at Winneba on Tuesday at a Four-Day workshop to train 22 people, including Technocrats, Tender Board, and members of the Awutu-Effutu-Senya District Assembly and building contractors.

The Participants were being equipped with the requisite knowledge on contract management and monitoring to enable them handle the programme efficiently to reduce poverty in the area through job creation.

Mr Amoasi Andoh announced plans to organize a trainer of trainers' courses for 15 representatives each from the Ajumako and the Awutu-Effutu-Senya Districts where the pilot program is being implemented to facilitate the attainment of its objectives. Alhaji Ishaq Azuru, Awutu-Effutu-Senya District Co-ordinating Director who opened the workshop, praised ILO and said the workshop was timely because it would assist the assembly in the planning and implementation of development projects.

He charged the participants to attach great value to the workshop to enable them to translate the new procurement Act, which calls for transparency in the operations of the district assemblies and other public organizations and institutions into reality.

Alhaji Azuru and Mr Ambrews Entsiwah Junior, District Co-ordinator of National Service Secretariat and District Focal Person for the Ghana Decent Work Pilot Programme, led Mr Amoasi Andoh and Mr Osei Bonsu to pay a courtesy call on Neenyi Ghartey VII, the Omanhene of the Effutu Traditional Area.

Neenyi Ghartey expressed appreciation to the organisers for the respect and honour accorded him and his Council of Elders and asked them to incorporate what he described as the teaching of good work culture in the training programme.

He expressed regrets that this virtue seemed to be lacking in the country's youth, stressing that it was not good enough if we want the nation to develop.

"If we want the country to make giant economic strides then we must be fully prepared to work hard throughout the eight hours of work enshrined in the labour law and not just to report at workplaces only to go and relax and collect their salaries at the end of the month," the Omanhene stated.

Mr Kwesi Esseku, the Presiding Member of the Awutu-Effutu-Senya District Assembly on behalf of the Assembly, pledged the members continued collaboration with the Effutu Traditional Council to facilitate the development of the three traditional areas in the district.