By Kofi AHOVI
The government, through the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI), has begun measures to ensure that the Rural Enterprises Project (REP) goes nationwide to facilitate efforts being made to develop those areas.
Based on the evidence of the impact that the project was making in the areas of skills development, micro enterprise establishment and employment creation in the rural areas, the government has requested the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to scale-up the project into a national programme that will cover the remaining rural districts and municipalities of the country. Currently the project is undertaken in only 66 out of the 170 districts in the country.
The request received a very positive consideration by IFAD and an interim evaluation mission was fielded in July, this year, to assess the performance of the project.
The findings of the interim evaluation mission were highly satisfactory to both IFAD and the government and, on that basis, an initial programme design mission began in August, this year, towards the realization of a national rural enterprises programme, which is expected to start in January 2012.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry supervises the Rural Enterprise Project. Under this project, the National Board for Small Scale Industry (NBSSI) and GRATIS Foundation, both under the ministry , are working with the ministry and the 66 participating district assemblies to promote the development of micro and small scale enterprises, (MSEs).
The project is co-funded by the government of Ghana, IFAD and the African Development Bank (AFDB).
It seeks to improve businesses outside the capital cities by providing business development services, such as skills training, marketing support, business counseling and referral services through the Business Advisory Centres (BAC).
It also involves technology promotion and dissemination services, such as technical skills training for master crafts persons and apprentices, production and demonstration of new and or improved production equipment particularly for agro-processing, repairs and referral services as well as the provision of business start-up kits to deserving graduate apprentices through the Rural Technology Facilities (RTFs); access to credit through the rural banks; and support for institutional strengthening.
In all, the project has trained over 100,000 rural entrepreneurial poor people in various skills. The effect of these interventions has been the creation of job opportunities at the district level for the many otherwise unemployed youth, especially young girls, in the rural areas.
About 20,000 rural micro and small-scale enterprises have so far been established or strengthened. These have created employment for about 44,000 people in the rural areas.
The government, through the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI), has begun measures to ensure that the Rural Enterprises Project (REP) goes nationwide to facilitate efforts being made to develop those areas.
Based on the evidence of the impact that the project was making in the areas of skills development, micro enterprise establishment and employment creation in the rural areas, the government has requested the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to scale-up the project into a national programme that will cover the remaining rural districts and municipalities of the country. Currently the project is undertaken in only 66 out of the 170 districts in the country.
The request received a very positive consideration by IFAD and an interim evaluation mission was fielded in July, this year, to assess the performance of the project.
The findings of the interim evaluation mission were highly satisfactory to both IFAD and the government and, on that basis, an initial programme design mission began in August, this year, towards the realization of a national rural enterprises programme, which is expected to start in January 2012.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry supervises the Rural Enterprise Project. Under this project, the National Board for Small Scale Industry (NBSSI) and GRATIS Foundation, both under the ministry , are working with the ministry and the 66 participating district assemblies to promote the development of micro and small scale enterprises, (MSEs).
The project is co-funded by the government of Ghana, IFAD and the African Development Bank (AFDB).
It seeks to improve businesses outside the capital cities by providing business development services, such as skills training, marketing support, business counseling and referral services through the Business Advisory Centres (BAC).
It also involves technology promotion and dissemination services, such as technical skills training for master crafts persons and apprentices, production and demonstration of new and or improved production equipment particularly for agro-processing, repairs and referral services as well as the provision of business start-up kits to deserving graduate apprentices through the Rural Technology Facilities (RTFs); access to credit through the rural banks; and support for institutional strengthening.
In all, the project has trained over 100,000 rural entrepreneurial poor people in various skills. The effect of these interventions has been the creation of job opportunities at the district level for the many otherwise unemployed youth, especially young girls, in the rural areas.
About 20,000 rural micro and small-scale enterprises have so far been established or strengthened. These have created employment for about 44,000 people in the rural areas.
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