Japan Will Support The Development of Ghanaian SMEs – Ambassador Himeno
Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, Tsutomu Himeno, has on behalf of his country pledged to support the development of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana.
Himeno explained that the main objective of the Japanese government is to ensure that African countries, Ghana especially, have a well-developed and sustainable industrial sector. According to him, the Japanese government is committed to ensuring that its African allies are well-empowered in order for them to make strides in the area of industrial development, hence, the resolve to provide the essential resources in order for that goal to be achieved.
Speaking at the National KAIZEN forum which was held in Ghana yesterday, Himeno expressed his satisfaction with the successful completion of the National Kaizen Project and as well disclosed that a proposition tailored to ensure a similar project with assistance from the Japanese government in the country had been made.
In 2015, the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI), under the Ministry of Trade and Industry, along with the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) launched Kaizen project in a bid to provide business development services and training to the SMEs scattered about in the Ghana region.
According to the Executive Director of NBSSI, the person of Kosi Yankee, the mandate had been a huge success as a result of the improved performance indicators realized in their overall assessment of the project. She also explained that under the phase of expansion, more than 278 enterprises and an average if 5,560 employees in these enterprises have undergone training under KAIZEN. Yankee added that efforts channeled towards the expansion of the training also received real-time boosts with the establishment of new centers in five different regions of Ghana.
According to Yankee still, the Greater Accra, Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Central and Northern regions were the first beneficiaries of the project. She disclosed that these interventions had ultimately resulted in an increase in the quality and productivity of numerous local and export-oriented businesses.
At the forum, Robert Ahomka – Lindsay, who is the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, gave a lauding address in which he commended the NBSSI and JICA for their efforts to help government grow the SMEs in the country. He said that the KAIZEN project is in line with the government’s visions to ensure a Ghana Beyond Aid agenda.
