President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has opened the Bechem Business Resource Centre, which has been established by the Ministry of Trade and Industry to provide strategic support and assistance to the domestic private sector operating at the Tano South district level.

Inaugurating the project on Saturday, 12th September 2020, the President stated that sixty-seven (67) Business Resource Centres (BRCs), including that at Bechem, have been established in sixty-seven (67) Districts across the country, thirty (30) of which have already commenced operations.

Indeed, the companies operating under the Government’s 1 District-1 Factory will also benefit from the assistance to be provided by the BRCs.

The BRCs are being financed by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), with the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) and GRATIS Foundation as the two implementing agencies.

It will be recalled that, upon the assumption of office of by the NPP Government in 2017, the Ministry of Trade and Industry took steps to realign the Rural Enterprises Programme (REP) to respond to the emerging opportunities under the Government’s Industrial Transformation Agenda, such as the 1 District-1 Factory initiative, and other related interventions. Indeed, the Rural Enterprises Programme is currently supporting some 63 1D1F projects.

President Akufo-Addo told the gathering that all 37 BRCs are being managed by experienced professionals, have been equipped with modern office logistics, and will soon be connected together digitally through a Virtual Private Network to facilitate efficient delivery of their operations.

Again, all the BRCs will liaise extensively with business regulatory agencies such as the Registrar Generals’ Department (RGD), Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), and Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) to provide a full bouquet of business support services at the district level.

In addition to supporting 1D1F companies, at the district level, the BRCs provide the following services to other MSMEs: training in management and entrepreneurship; business counselling and advisory services; preparation of business plans; facilitating access to financial services and credit; and facilitating access to markets.

The President expressed his gratitude to the Chiefs and the Tano South District Assembly for providing the land for the project, and urged the people to offer their support to ensure that the Centre is able to provide the requisite assistance to the private sector to enhance the development of the local economy of the Tano South district and the surrounding communities.