Baatsona, (GAR) July 16, GNA -- Hajia Alima Mahama, Minister of Women and Children's Affairs has called on women entrepreneurs to take the fullest advantage of the conducive and enabling environment created by the government to maximise their opportunities.

She stressed the need for women to empower themselves to be able to avail themselves of the various opportunities under the policies initiated by government.

The Minister made the call in a speech read on her behalf at the graduation of 28 trainees, including two males in batik, tie/dye, print screening and First Aid Services.

Their three month-training was offered them free of charge by Practical Emergency and Services (PES) a non-governmental organisation. She said it is to reduce or alleviate poverty that the government has set as its vision the idea of wealth creation among the Ghanaian populace particularly women through the declaration of the Golden Age of Business.

Therefore, women in the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) must sector see this opportunity as a challenge and enter into profitable ventures to improve their lot and make an impact on society. Hajia Mahama said the government has prepared the grounds for transacting sound business and asked women in the SME to introduce ingenuity into their businesses and come out with quality products that would be marketable on both the local and the ECOWAS vast market. To produce quality products however, calls for constant training and refresher courses to acquire more skills and impressed on women to avail themselves to such opportunities.

She called for networking among businesses in order to share ideas such as current technologies and entrepreneurial advice so that they could produce and market their products in large volumes. Mrs Mabel Ann Akoto-Kwudzo, Executive Director of the Practical Emergency Aid Services said she was moved by the plight of unemployed women who are forced by circumstances to go into some practices against their wish.

She therefore, established the NGO to assist such underprivileged people free of charge and has since 2004 to date trained 300 people in various skills.

She however, appealed to Ministry of Women, and Children's Affairs to grant loans to the trainees to establish their businesses to make them fully empowered, make an impact and contribute to the economic growth.