The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) with funding from the European Union (EU) trains 20 cluster development experts from relevant institutions responsible for trade industrialisation, export, agribusiness, quality infrastructure, trade associations and standards on cluster development in Accra.
The four-day training on UNIDO’s cluster development methodology is aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 5, 8 and 9 which calls for the achievement of gender equality, empowerment of women and girls, decent work, resilient infrastructure, inclusive sustainable industrialisation; innovation and economic growth.
It is part of the activities of the West Africa Competitiveness Programme (WACOMP) implemented by UNIDO in partnership with the government through the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI) to develop the technical capacity and capability of potential cluster development agents (CDAs) in Ghana.
The CDAs after this training are better equipped to help strengthen and facilitate intra cluster exchanges and collective efficiencies for cassava, fruits (mango and pineapple), cosmetics and personal-care products value chains.
Ms Ebe Muschialli, UNIDO Programme Advisor and cluster development trainer said UNIDO had formulated a modular approach to guide the formulation and implementation of cluster development initiatives.
“Each UNIDO module represents a critical phase in the cluster development process which have produced effective project outcomes and best experiences in countries implementing the UNIDO cluster,’’ she said.
Mr Vedat Kunt, a senior international cluster expert and a co-trainer revealed that governments worldwide regard clusters as potential drivers of enterprise development, innovation, competitiveness.
“Clusters are considered to be an efficient policy instrument for entrepreneurship and economic development,” Mr Kunt said.
“By engaging in joint actions, cluster firms can achieve results that are out of reach for individual enterprises,” he added.
Clusters and cluster initiatives have in the past 20 years become a key component in utilising the strengths of national and regional competitiveness strategies.
WACOMP- Ghana component through the potential CDAs will contribute to enhancing innovation, growth and competitiveness of SMEs in the cassava, fruits (pineapple and mangoes) and cosmetics sector to build their competitiveness for exports.
