The National Coordination Office (NCO) of the African Continental Free Trade Area(AfCFTA) has admonished micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the Kassena-Nankana district of the Upper East Region to brace themselves in readiness to exploit the opportunities in expanding their market share and profitability.
This was disclosed during a capacity-building training for medium-sized enterprises in Paga as part of NCO’s mandate of assessing the readiness of 180 local companies’ export potential and supporting at least 50 SMEs to export under the AfCFTA regime.
The training provided business development services such as mentorship, good corporate governance, increased citizen engagement to prevent radicalization and energy efficiency capacity enhancement, and access to finance.
Speaking to Citi News, Programme officer at NCO, Divine Kutortse, said, government was committed to improving the capacities of SMEs under AfCFTA to create more jobs and increase their income.
“Government through the NCO is committed to mobilizing resources and implementing measures with a view to improving the export capacity of both formal and informal service suppliers with particular attention to micro, small and medium size, women, and youth suppliers.”
“Competitive youth-led firms have the potential to create more and better jobs, and foster production and trade of diversified goods and services across the continent, which, on the one hand, promotes access to a wide range of goods and services and increased income, thus ultimately improving the lives of the African people”.
Partnership Officer of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Edem Attor, said her outfit will continue to strengthen the capacity of MSMEs to accelerate their business growth and be better positioned to improve and expand their businesses beyond Ghana and to the One Africa market.
Kassena-Nankana West District Chief Executive, Gerald Ataoge, was optimistic the training of MSMEs in the area will afford them the requisite soft skills and knowledge to expand their businesses and market share under AfCFTA to improve their livelihood and create jobs to reduce unemployment in the area.