Accra, March 14, GNA - The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) is to develop an Information Communication Technology (ICT) programme to increase industrial growth through the promotion of outsourcing. Mr Prince Kofi Kludjeson, President of the AGI, who announced this on Monday, said the introduction of the ICT would spur industries on to transform and improve upon their managerial capabilities, which would increase profitability in the long run.

The AGI president, who was speaking to journalists at the sixth INDUTECH Exhibition at the Ghana International Trade Fair, said the programme would ensure collaboration between bigger firms and Small Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) to the business of sub-contracting.

"Industrial growth is key to our development and this can be achieved through partnership where larger companies will be seen supporting smaller ones by outsourcing from the SMEs," he said.

Mr Kludjeson said many SMEs had the capacity to produce the required raw materials needed by the large companies, which would impact on overall industrial growth but little has been done to promote it. He said AGI's goal was to assist the industrial sector to identify areas and to take advantage of the about 250 million-consumer market in the sub-region.

"Most people in West Africa do not believe in the quality of products and services from Ghana or from a sister nation in the sub-region but this needs to be corrected," Mr Kludjeson observed. On this year's INDUTECH, he said feedback both from within and outside the country was very encouraging and that its core objectives were realized.

He announced that the AGI would in April this year organise a similar exhibition in Sierra Leon towards creating the environment for promoting inter and intra regional trade.