Suhum (E/R), March 26, GNA - Mr Michael Kofi Mensah, District Chief Executive for Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar has said the effort of the District National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) in projecting cottage industries has help reduced the urban migration in the district. He said the NBSSI effort has showed the level at which the department was committed to improving cottage industries in the rural areas.

The DCE said this in a speech read on his behalf at a 3-day trade exhibition at Suhum last week.

He said one of the major problems confronting the nation was unemployment, adding that, this made the youth to migrate from the rural areas to the urban towns to seek for non-existence jobs. Mr Kofi Mensah said the phenomenon has made the youth not to acquire any productive skills that can sell them at the job market. He said the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government would do all that it can to continue to resource the board adequately to promote cottage industries in the country to be able to check the rural-urban migration. Miss. Rebecca Kodua, the Eastern Regional Manager of the NBSSI said the Suhum Business Advisory Centre of the Board has contributed in many ways in boosting the entrepreneurial skills of the people in the district.

She said the micro and small-scale industrial sector, which could contribute to the realization of the government's vision of private sector development, would depend on how best their products were marketed.

Miss Kodua said it was in this light that the NBSSI embarked on organising mini fairs at regional and districts levels to showcase products of these industries to be able to have market for them. She said the mini fair would also encourage competitive spirit among the producers to ensure efficiency. 26 March 05