Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) has received vehicles, furniture and some ICT equipment from the Japanese Government to promote micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the agribusiness value chain.
The donation worth Gh¢ 3,600,000, equivalent to USD 300,000, included six Toyota Hilux pick-up trucks and two Land Cruiser Prados that would be delivered later.
It intends to improve GEA’s capacity to deliver training services across the nation using the ‘Kaizen Approach’, with technical assistance from the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
The ‘Kaizen Approach’ is a Japanese company philosophy that focuses on methods that continuously improve operations while involving all personnel.
A Statement by UNIDO said the support formed part of “Expanding the Kaizen Initiative by Enhancing Sustainable Agri-Business.”
“This initiative underscores the commitment to scale national efforts for MSME promotion, focusing on sustainable and continual enhancement of business quality and productivity across Ghana.”
Mr. Hisanobu Mochizuki, Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, said the support for GEA reaffirmed Japan’s unwavering commitment to Ghana’s growth, particularly in terms of increasing economic prospects and enterprise performance through efficient resource utilization.
He said the project would share Japanese technology and expertise through a range of activities, and that the goal of Kaizen is to improve business performance by improving efficiency.
“Gaining proper enterprise performance and management skills through Kaizen principles will be critical to sustainability and growth. I am hoping these vehicles will be useful in the implementation of measures to improve Ghana Enterprises Agency facilitation of its technical and manageable capacities,” the Ambassador said.
Mr Stavros Papastavrou, UNIDO Country Representative, pledged to continue UNIDO’s assistance for Kaizen-based learning and industrial development in Ghana.
Madam Kosi Yankey, Chief Executive Officer of GEA, stated that the government had targeted MSME development as a key driver of job creation and economic growth.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, she said that the Kaizen approach had been used to transform many of Ghana’s MSEs, adding that “we have seen a productivity improvement, they have efficiently changed the systems within their organisations and businesses.”
Madam Yankey said there are more than 200 offices across the country that are constantly monitoring the growth of MSMEs, and that vehicles and equipment would help them in carrying out their work at the regional and district levels.
“Currently, over 200 of our staff have been trained in the Kaizen way and we have been using Kaizen across the country,” the Chief Executive Officer said.
GNA