The Ashanti Regional Trade Show to promote Green Employment and Enterprise Opportunity in Ghana (GrEEn) has taken off in Kumasi with 59 Small Scale Medium Enterprises(SMEs) participating to showcase their best products to the public.
The week-long Regional Show formed part of the GrEEn project being implemented by the SNV Ghana and United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), with funding from the European Union(EU), Embassy of Netherlands in Ghana.
The 59 participating SMEs have either enrolled or graduated from SNV’s six-month GrEEn Incubation and GrEEn Acceleration programmes that provide business advisory support to green and eco-inclusive businesses and entrepreneurs.
On exhibition at the Kumasi City Mall, the venue, were products and services that were made using methods that would not harm the environment, use of waste materials.
There were male and female wears made from rubber/plastic waste, garden chairs and kitchen stools also from plastic waste.
Others were into processing of cashew nuts/paste, honey, groundnut paste, pepper and garlic powder.
Mrs Genevive Parker-Twum, Senior Incubation and Acceleration Advisor on SNV’s GrEEn Project, mentioned that SNV Ghana was dedicated to assisting entrepreneurs and businesses in Ghana’s circular economy to promote sustainable jobs and development.
In 2021, according to Mrs Parker-Twum, 12 SMEs were supported with start-up amount between €10,000.00 and €25,000.00 depending on the type of business plan.
The project, she said, provided support for the SMEs to build businesses that have proper management system, operate eco-inclusive business models that offered environmental and social benefits to their communities and were compliant with regulation.
Mr Laouali Sadda, Project Manager of the GrEEn Project at SNV Ghana, said Start-ups were also supported to fine tune their business modules, re-align their business models to make them sustainable and climate resilient
emphasised.
He said the Project would continue to support the youth in SMEs to create and get descent and sustainable jobs.
Mr Mamudu Osman,Ashanti Regional Officer at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, said the Ministry was ready to partner SNV in rendering continuous support to SMEs in the GrEEn sector.
He urged Ghanaians to be more innovative in generating useful products from wastes, stressing that “Ghanaians can create wealth and employment from millions of tons of waste created annually”.
Ms Francisca Asare-Bediako, Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of Fiscandos Enterprise, cashew processor, was full of praise to SNV Ghana for setting her up financially, stressing that she has employed 12 staff at Akomadan, near Offinso in Ashanti, where she operates.
Similarly, Ms Emmanuella Bema Appiah,a student at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) who doubles as the CEO of Green Eco Works, plastic waste recycling company at Bomso in Kumasi, also commended the Project for the advisory support as she awaits for the start-up fund.
FROM KINGSLEY E.HOPE, KUMASI
