s been an upsurge of interest in skill upgrading in recent years and efficient management practices for business growth and survival.

A number of small-scale enterprises start business in very small way, remain in a very small way and die small. This is because such entrepreneurs do not upgrade their knowledge in their field of endeavour and this leads to inadequate knowledge of modern practices and consequent stagnation of skills which compel businesses to fold up.

It is in this light that the Business Advisory Centre of the National Board for Small Scale Industries, NBSSI, has organised a three-month technical and business management workshop for leather products manufacturers in Kumasi on the theme “Increasing Market for Leather Products in Ghana”. The training was by way of introducing “One Village One Product concept in Ghana.

The workshop, sponsored by the Japan International Co-operation Agency, JICA was organised with overall objective of assisting participants to increase market for their products through the use of quality raw materials, appropriate manufacturing techniques and good management practices. It was also to build the capacity of some selected members of the Association of Leather Products Manufacturers who would also serve as trainers in order to increase their market and profitability of their businesses.

Addressing participants at the closing ceremony of the workshop, the Regional Manager of NBSSI, Mr Saeed Owusu-Brobbey advised the trainees to be creative and strive hard to survive in the competitive business environment. He said the trainees could do so by cultivating inquisitive minds and associate themselves with institutions and people who have the requisite knowledge in their area of operation. “You should strive on your own to keep abreast with modern technical, technological and management practices”, he stressed.

Mr Owusu Brobbey disclosed that the NBSSI through its own credit schemes approved a total amount of (GHc54,255) as loans to 47 entrepreneurs last year. He stated that the achievements of the Board in the Ashanti Region had been modest and said they would continue to create the right atmosphere that would result in the efficient performance of their micro and small scale entrepreneurs in the region.

The Ashanti Regional Minister Hon. Emmanuel Owusu-Ansah assured the trainees that the Regional Co-ordinating Council would continue to ensure that District, Municipal and Metropolitan Assemblies are encouraged to collaborate with NBSSI to organise local trade shows and assist growth oriented entrepreneurs to attend international trade fairs to market their products.

He further stated that the provision of adequate information of the market is an important ingredient of trade; therefore adequate market information about exact products with the desired specification, price and quality delivery is very vital and that would position SMEs well to complete effectively in the export market. The Ashanti Regional Minister therefore called on all development partners to support MSEs with programmes that would enhance the quality of their products to be able to complete in a free market such as Ghana.