Takoradi, Jan. 28, GNA - Small Scale Entrepreneurs (SMEs) dealing in art and craft within the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis have described the activities of middle men as a threat to the survival of their businesses. They said many middle men have been buying their goods on credit and sometimes disappear after collecting such goods and making only part payment, while a lot more take pictures of their products, advertise the products on the internet and sell them to foreigners at exorbitant rates after buying it from them very cheaply.

Briefing the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview, Miss Grace Fosu, caretaker of Divine Love Craft shop in Takoradi said many individuals usually buy in bulk and ask for credit, but disappear and leave them with huge financial burdens. She noted that these activities "put us in a dilemma as both our capital and products have been taken away'.

"Our survival and the challenges associated with our work coupled with these acts, worsen our woes and threatening the survival of our businesses and our investments," she lamented. Ms Fosu noted that it was sad that most Ghanaians were not interested in hand crafted artefacts made in Ghana and thereby threatening the survival of their businesses. She said some Ghanaians had described locally made artefacts as "fetish", outdated, and preferred to own similar foreign crafted products, whose quality could not be compared to the local products.

Ms Fosu said they sold most of their products at the Takoradi harbour through exhibitions and bazaars organized by the Ghana Tourists Board (GTB) with the assistance of the port authorities. She said they have not registered with the Ghana Export Promotion Council (GEPC) because they have not decided to export their products yet.

Mr Mike Kpimgbi, Principal Resource Officer of the Ghana Tourist Board (GTB) in an interview said the art and crafts industry was lucrative, but their inability to operate from a central point, makes it easy for them to fall prey to fraudsters and others who acted as agents and middlemen. He said the GTB will continue to educate the craft dealers on specifications and the need to satisfy tourists, by selling high quality goods to them.

"We talk to them to use quality materials and offer only souvenirs that will last and avoid selling inferior goods," he stressed. He said the GTB wants to ensure that all souvenirs leaving Ghana were of high quality and hoped that such products will attract others to patronize made in Ghana crafts.

Mr Kpimgbi appealed to craft dealers to be careful of people who patronized their products with pledges of securing them bigger markets, since such individuals could end up defrauding them. "We hope that the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) will work hard to complete the Western Regional Theatre located at Fijai, a suburb of Sekondi, and re-locate all the craft manufacturers and dealers there".

Mr George G. Koomson, acting Western Regional Director of the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) said they had managed to assist the group to draft a constitution, but because they operated with several institutions, it was difficult bringing them together. Mr. Benyameen S. A. Keelson, a Deputy Western Regional Director of the Centre for National Culture (CNC) said the plight of SMEs were many and varied.

Mr Keelson said the inability of the SMEs to secure banks loans was due to the lack of collateral and urged members and groups that operate under the Ghana Association of Visual Artists (GAVA) to re-organise themselves, mobilize some funds and secure group loans and expand their businesses. Mr Keelson said it was sad that many SMEs have abandoned their parent associations while a lot more do not belong to any. He noted that though serious efforts had been made to assist the SMEs by providing them space at the regional theatre complex, the lack of funds was hindering the construction of the proposed craft village.

Mr Keelson said recently six persons operating as SMEs in the region, benefited from a European Union (EU) grant under the Cultural Initiative Support Programme (CISP) with amounts ranging between 2,000 and 4,000 Ghana cedis.