Ajumako (C/R), Dec 28, GNA - The Central Regional Development Commission (CEDECOM) has organized a training workshop for aspiring entrepreneurs at Ajumako to introduce them to basic entrepreneurial management, leadership concepts and principles. Eighty would-be entrepreneurs from Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam District attended the workshop.

Mr Kenneth Osei-Karikari, Senior Project Officer of CEDECOM, said the workshop was in pursuance of the government's policy to make the private sector the engine of growth.

He said for the government to achieve a per capital income of 1,000 dollar by 2015 "we need to develop a vibrant private sector." Mr Osei-Karikari said the commission had targeted graduates of senior secondary schools, technical and vocational institutions, polytechnics and the universities to build their capacities in entrepreneurship, leadership, goal setting, time and financial management, record keeping and customer service relations to enable them to enter the private sector and succeed. Mr Killicks Arthur, administrative Manager of the commission, said unemployment was rife in the country because the private sector had not received the needed boost.

Mr Kenneth Kwasi Obempong, Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam District Chief Executive, commended CEDECOM for taking the initiative to train aspiring entrepreneurs. He said the numerous interventions the government had put in place to reduce poverty did not make much impact on the people because most of them did not know how to manage resources. Mr Obempong said the suspended Poverty Alleviation Fund (PAF) in the district owed the government over 1.2 billion cedis because the loan was not well managed.