In its bid to sustain competitive and responsible enterprises within the informal sector, the International Labour Organisation, ILO, has commenced a training programme for some trade associations in the country like the Federation of Professional Trade Associations.
The programme is part of the ILO’s contribution to enhancing the capacity of the informal sector due to its effect on the country’s economy.
Speaking to the media after the opening ceremony in Accra, National Project Coordinator, Samuel Onoma Asiedu believes that beneficiaries will be able to use topics on the platform thought such as quality assurance, to overcome operational challenges facing their businesses.
“This is aimed at what the consumer needs. You are also operating within the frame work of some international regulations and finally you also have a goal. So, when it comes to quality assurance, you’re putting in place a system that ensures that from planning through production to the point where the consumer takes your product, there is this set of practices that ensures that you’re delivering based on the expectations of the clients, based on the expectations of regulatory framework and based on the goal of the enterprises,”
He also noted that the programme is aimed at upscaling the informal sector to meet the new trend of business globally and to open up opportunities to the self-employed and skilled youth in the country in the bid to reduce the unemployment rate.
President of the Ghana hairdressers and beautician associations, Tina Yirenche expressed confidence that the programme will go a long way to help the sector improve upon it work.
“We are so grateful that ILO has come to our aid and developed this training content for us. We are expecting that after the whole programme, we will leave here being very well vested in whatever training that they are giving to us so that at the end of the day we will also have the strength in leadership to develop our people and to make them dependent,”
At the end of the training programme with the ILO, The Management, Development and Productivity Institute, MDPI, is expected to take over the programme as a partner. It is expected to provide Ghanaian SMEs with a training intervention that combines practical classroom sessions with in-factory coaching to enable them to participate in global supply chains and adapt to emerging market demands brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.