The Association of Ghana Industries, AGI, has launched an E-Commerce portal for Micro Small Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the Eastern, Volta and Oti Regions, to enhance trade among its members, the general public and the international community.
This platform, according to leadership of the Association, was borne out of an initial idea to prepare members of the Association for the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement, which was scheduled to have come into force on July 1, 2020, but has been postponed due to the novel Coronavirus pandemic.
The electronic platform, which is aimed at facilitating trade and making business more attractive and competitive in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic, has a special covid store where Personal Protective Equipment, produced in the regions will be marketed and sold locally and internationally.
Delivering an address at the virtual launching of the portal in the Eastern, Volta and Oti Regions, Regional Chairman of AGI, Mr. Dela Gadzanku, said the platform will provide members with a link where finished goods and raw materials can be purchased locally and internationally.
“We created this platform to make businesses more competitive and put them ahead of their game to take advantage and make the best out of it. As the government’s agenda indicates, the business of Ghana is business, and AGI remains deeply committed to completing the unfinished business of this country and we do this along with the enterprises and businesses for whose interests we stand,” he said.
He also stated that, ” The collaboration between the regional AGI and Logic Go started at the latter part of 2018 to build an electronic platform or online store for our members to sell and purchase both finished goods and raw materials locally and internationally”.
He said the initial idea was to prepare the businesses for the Africa continental Free Trade Area which was scheduled to commence on July 1 2020, but has been postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The platform has a special covid store where PPE produced from the region will be marketed and sold locally and internationally and also goods sold on the platform will be GSA and FDA certified,” he added.
The Eastern Regional Minister, Eric Kwakye Darfour, who spoke on the theme, ‘Accelerating the growth of MSMEs in the Eastern, Volta and Oti through an enhanced E-Commerce platform’, lauded the leadership of AGI for the initiative and called on members to patronize the platform.
“It is worth mentioning that the government under the able leadership of His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, recognizing the role of MSMES has made available an amount of GHS 1 billion as stimulus package for businesses. It is interesting enough to know that this package was also processed through a portal underscoring yet the importance of E-Commerce”.
“This is coming at a time when we are preparing our businesses for the African Continental Free Trade Area, and so it is imperative to take full advantage, and I wish to encourage more people in the regions to come on board in order to position our businesses for the smooth take-off of this agreement. I wish to pledge my full support to the project and urge enterprises to register on this platform in order to realize its full benefits, and I wish to also appeal to AGI to make the platform more convenient and friendly for users,” he said.