Apam, Oct 1, GNA - About forty small-scale entrepreneurs have been sensitised on Component Three of the Urban Poverty Reduction Programme (UPRP III) at a meeting in Apam, one of the 12 selected towns to benefit.

Under UPRP III, which involves interventions to enable small-scale entrepreneurs (SSE) to develop to the medium level. The SSEs under the programme being managed by the Social Investment Fund (SIF) for 600 such entrepreneurs nationwide would be assisted to offer employment to others. Nana Henz Osei Karikari, Project Officer of SIF, said 32 million 500 cedis or 3, 250 Ghana Cedis would be given to each small-scale entrepreneur belonging to a trade group, which would provide collateral for the assistance repayable within 18 to 36 months. At least 40 per cent of the beneficiaries should be women, the Project Officer stated and said unlike previous SIF loan schemes where billions of cedis could not be recovered, the UPRP facility would build on the capacity of the beneficiaries to ensure that the loans were properly utilised to guarantee repayment.

He said that a series of workshops would be organised before the disbursement of the funds to the applicants who would be made to bear 10 per cent of the cost of training to make them more committed. Ms Joyce Mildred Aidoo, Gomoa District Chief Executive, appealed to Ghanaians to exercise patience to enable the government to implement its socio-economic interventions to improve the lives of the people. She advised applicants of the UPRP loans to abide by the terms of the programme to maximise their earnings.