The 2nd Ghana Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Expo (Business Sense 2012) was launched in Accra on Tuesday on the theme: “Growing Sustainable Enterprises through Finance and Technology.”

The exposition billed for May 31- June 2 at the Accra International Conference Centre, is being organised by OML Africa, the brain behind Accra International Motor Fair and through the sponsorship of Vodafone Ghana, UT Bank and Nyani & Co Limited.

The event, which is expected to attract more than 50 exhibitors including SMEs and large organisations supplying the small business market, would be officially opened by Ms Hannah Tetteh, Minister of Trade and Industries.

The exposition would draw more than 100 conference delegates made up of managing directors, chief executive officers, business owners, business development managers, entrepreneurs and people who want to start their own businesses.

Also expected to visit the exhibition are a highly targeted audience of more than 3,000 business-minded individuals.

Mr Paul Asinor, Event Director OML Africa, noted that successive governments have declared the private sector as the “engine of growth” whilst the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has assisted Ghana to implement a number of SME development programmes with the support of development partners.

“The current SME development programme is the Sustainable competitive and Responsible Enterprises (SCORE), “he said.

Mr Asinor said government in collaboration with the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, have introduced SCORE to assist SMEs in manufacturing with potential for growth to be competitive.

The programme will also assist the enterprises to sustain increased production of quality goods and services to create wealth and offer more employment to workers.

Through SCORE, SMEs are expected to improve worksite management and reduce unnecessary work by improving quality and productivity, human resource management abilities and to create a better communicating environment for both management and workers.

It is also anticipated to boost corporate responsibility through environmental management and cleaner production, so as to achieve higher economic returns and improve occupational health and safety.

“The SCORE programme basically strengthens SMEs to take control of their internal systems efficiently to address their weaknesses, take advantage of opportunities and be able to ward off threats,” Mr Asinor said.

Rami Baitie, Group Head of UT Bank Corporate Affairs, sponsors of the Business Sense 2012, said: “ UT is very pleased to be part of the...Expo because we started ...as an SME...we have a unique insight into the problems and obstacles that lie in the path of an SME, both as a start-up and an established business.”

The exposition will be addressed by Ekow Afedzie, Deputy Managing Director (MD) of Ghana Stock Exchange, Shika Acolatse, Country Director, Enablis, Kwamina Amoasi Andoh, Programme Manager of SCORE, Kayode Safianu, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Balanced Scorecard West Africa and Dr Daniel Quaye, Lecturer at the University of Ghana Business School and developer of award winning “Write your own Business Plan” CD.

Other speakers are Samuel Adetola, Founder and CEO, Capital Group; Douglas Oppong Founder and MD of Angel Finance UK and officials from UT bank, Micro Finance and Small Loans Centre, Danish International Development Agency, Ghana Venture Capital Trust Fund, Ministry of Trade, and Ghana Private Sector Development Facility.

There will be one-on-one Business Clinics and speed networking as part of the Business Sense 2012.

The Business Sense 2012 Exhibition, which runs alongside the conference, is a platform for companies to showcase their goods and services to a highly targeted audience in a professional environment.**