As part of efforts to create an enabling business environment for the transformation of micro and small enterprises (MSEs), the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) has initiated steps to modify its operations.

“The NBSSI is the process of converting all its Business Advisory Centres across the country into Business Resource Centres. The Resource Centres will be one-stop-shops for business development, especially at the district levels,” Kosi Yankey, Executive Director of NBSSI, told the B&FT in an interview.

She said the Board currently has about 173 Business Advisory Centres across the country, and will begin the modification latest by January 2018. The scope of operations for the proposed modified business centres, she noted, will include access to financing, provision of relevant information about business registration, and certification by the Ghana Standards Authority, adding: “This is expected to help create about 10,000 jobs every year”.

“We are looking at bringing on board all stakeholders who matter in business development in every district. We will also ensure active private sector involvement in the development of businesses and enterprises at the community level. It is in line with government’s industrial transformation agenda,” she added.

The Business Resource Centres are also expected to boost NBSSI’s internally generated funds (IGF). The IGF will supplement monies from other strategic partnerships with bodies like the African Development Bank and UNDCF to improve the institution’s financial status, Madam Yankey stated, saying: “This will go a long way to enhance our activities to the benefit of assisting businesses to grow”.

The Board is largely dependent of government subvention, and over the years funding has not been released to the NBSSI as expected. The situation has constrained the Board from delivering effectively on its mandate.

The NBSSI is the apex governmental body for promotion and development of the Micro and Small Enterprises (MSE) sector in Ghana. It was established by an Act of the Parliament in the Third Republic of Ghana (Act 434 of 1981) and operationised in 1985. This was in line with government’s drive to develop potentials of the sector to contribute substantially in reducing the high unemployment rate as well as help growth of the economy.

The objectives of NBSSI include: contributing to the creation of an enabling environment for small-scale enterprise development; contributing to the development of an enterprise culture in Ghana; facilitating MSEs’ access to substantial and high quality Business Development Services for their development; and facilitating access to credit for small enterprises.