Mrs Betty Neriah, Eastern and Volta Regional Manager of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), on Thursday emphasized that women hold the key to bridging the country’s rural-urban economic gap.

This is because more women than men own the micro and small businesses which experts say hold the key to the economic emancipation of the country.

Mrs Neriah was speaking at a Business Development Seminar held under the auspices of the Volta Regional Secretariat of the Department of Women, the Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC) and Courage Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organisation.

She said it was time women and in fact proprietors of businesses in the Volta Region strived to be competitive.

Mrs Neriah urged the small business people to network and liaise with the Association of Ghana Industries, which has the experience and the capacity to advocate for their needs.

Ms Lena Alai, Volta Regional Director of the Department of Women, expressed concern about the bad manners exhibited by some traders towards their clients saying, such clients hardly come back.

She said it was “no sin” for women to be industrious, urging them to brace the odds “push on to make a difference”.

Mr Courage Dei-Zanga, Executive Director of Courage Foundation, took the fairly large number of participants through what they, as business people, needed to do to access the Business Development Services Fund (BDSF).

The Fund which seeks to increase the competitiveness of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) is a business services development programme of the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Energy supported by the World Bank.

Mr Kwame Azumah, Ho Municipal Head of the Business Advisory Centre of the National Board for Small-Scale Industries (NBSSI), called for a policy to prop small businesses in the country as done in other countries.