UBA Growing Businesses Entrepreneurial Workshops target Africa

UBA Growing Businesses Entrepreneurial Workshops target Africa
By Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh, Ghanadot

Accra, June 21, Ghanadot - The United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc has embarked on a comprehensive programme dubbed “UBA Growing Businesses Entrepreneurial Workshop” for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Africa.

To this end, the first phase of the programme has begun in Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon while Cote D’Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Uganda will benefit from the second phase.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO)/ Managing Director (MD) of the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Ghana, Mr.Gabriel Edgal announced this at the opening of the one week UBA Growing Businesses Workshop for some selected SMEs in Accra, yesterday.

The workshop being organized by the bank in partnership with the Empretec Foundation and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and aimed at identify SME businesses and provide them with tools and entrepreneurial skills to enable them develop their businesses, generate employment and create wealth for Africans.

The workshop would also focus on skills enhancement and development, attitudinal training, access to finance and creation of business networking opportunities.

According to him, “UBA’s support for employment and economic empowerment has always been strategic. In addition to various schemes for the critical sectors of African economies, UBA in February this year launched a N50billion Agricultural fund to support farmers in enhancing food security in Nigeria. This is an initiative that the bank hopes to replicate in Ghana and other African countries soon”.

Mr. Edgal added that agriculture and the development of SMEs were critical to the growth of African economies and the bank was at the forefront to support initiatives in these areas.

The CEO/MD stressed that the bank’s huge investment in these sectors was driven by our mission “to be a model for African business” and by their philosophy of “do well and do good”.

The Deputy of Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr. John Gyetuah hinted that the ministry was embarking on a number of interventions to help nurture and grow businesses in the SMEs sector.

These he mention included the Strengthening of the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI), and other Business Development Service Agencies to provide world class SME support services in the country.

He further disclosed that the District Industrialization Programme through the ministry was facilitating the piloting of one district project in each of the ten regions of the country.

These projects will use local resources, add value to these resources through manufacturing and facilitate the development of production base in the districts to ensure sustained wealth creation.

The technology improvement programme which is aimed at retooling some enterprises selected from 150 companies to improve productivity and enhance their competitiveness.

According to the Minister, some other interventions by government included the provision of special incentive for the Venture Capital Companies to SMEs, restructuring and strengthening of Export Development and Investment Fund (EDIF) to be more accessible to SMEs, improvement infrastructural facilities, human capacity development and market access.

The President of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Mr. Tony Oteng-Gyasi, who chaired the function appealed to the participants to translate the knowledge they may acquire from the workshop to improve their businesses.

Ghanadot