Visiting Canada’s Governor-General tours Gratis Foundation

Tema, Nov. 28 GNA - Canada’s Governor-General, Ms Michaelle Jean on Tuesday toured the Gratis Foundation at Tema as part of her official State visit to the country and expressed satisfaction with the operations there.

Mrs Cecilia Kafui Asibey-Bonsu, Quality Assurance and Materials Manager of Gratis, led the Governor-General to tour the Metal Machining; Welding/Fabrication; Woodworking/pattern Making; Foundry; Textile Training and Design Sections.

Since 1987, Canada, through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), has provided approximately 13 million Canadain dollars about 105 billion cedis to assist the Gratis Foundation to promote the development of appropriate technologies and training in Ghana.

She expressed satisfaction with the innovations introduced into the operations and entreated them to come out with quality products to be able to meet standards on the world market which has become highly competitive.

Ms Jean was equally enthused on seeing the ladies working on the heavy machines and encouraged them to strive hard to rob shoulders with their men counterparts to be able to set up their own businesses.

Seeing products like the boiling tank; steamer; palm oil expellant and palm fruit stripper among other devices, the Governor-General praised the officials of the Foundation for their ingenuity.

The Governor-General, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of Canada, explained that her visit was to afford her the opportunity to see at first hand how her country’s financial contributions and investments were being utilized and also to strengthen the existing relations between the two countries.

She noted that Ghana, with her vibrancy in civil society; right directions in governance and dynamism had the potential for rapid progress that could be an inspirer to the rest of Africa.

With that she impressed on Ghanaians to take their destiny into their own hands and to strive to achieve successes through the new generation of entrepreneurship, which contributed to fast development.

The Commander-in-Chief was accompanied by Mrs Margaret Amoakohene, Ghana’s Ambassador to Canada, and Mr Don Bobiash, Canada’s Ambassador to Ghana.

Gratis Foundation is a non-governmental foundation that promotes marketable technologies and entrepreneurial skills for the growth of industry and business enterprises in Ghana and West Africa.

Its activities among other things manufacturing with a focus on agriculture/agro processing; the provision of environmental/sanitation equipment; technology-based training aimed at equipping trainees with the requisite technical, vocational and entrepreneurial skills.

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