Bolgatanga (Upper East), 16 March, - The African Development Foundation (ADF), a USA based non-governmental organisation, has signed an 88 million cedi grant pact with the Bolgatanga Basket Weavers Club Co-operative (BBWCC) in the Upper East region. The facility will enable BBWCC to acquire offices and equipment and employ a project officer. The money will also be used to organise workshops to upgrade the skills of its weavers, using innovative weaving methods. Mr Nicholas Apokerah, project co-ordinator of BBWCC, made this known at a five-day leadership-training workshop, organised by the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI). It was sponsored by the ADF for 30 participants drawn from Sumbrungu Yekine, Gambibgo, Yorogo, Yarigabisi and Nyariga villages in Bolgatanga. The participants were taken through communication skills, project costing and pricing, planning in micro enterprise development and credit management. The workshop also provided a forum for discouraging rivalry among various knitting groups and encouraging unity in order to build a potent association that will improve the living standards of all its members. Mr Apokerah said BBWCC was formed to facilitate a conducive marketing environment through working out a fair pricing system for baskets produced by its members for the export market. He said so far, BBWCC is engaged in business with OXFAM trading company, which buys at three times the price offered in the Bolgatanga market. Mr Alex Dogbe, regional manager of NBSSI, identified lack of credit facilities for small scale industrialists to expand their businesses as a major obstacle facing small-scale operators.