SMALL AND MEDUIM ENTERPRISES ADVISED TO MAKE USE OF FAIRS

THE Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), Dr Kwadwo Owusu Agyemang, has urged small and medium-scale enterprises to take advantage of the authority’s sub-regional export trade fairs to boost the growth of smaller entities into multinational corporations.

He similarly called on the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) and stakeholder bodies trading in non-traditional products to partner the authority to effectively advance the frontiers of their businesses across the sub-region as they strove to attain non-traditional exports (NTEs) revenue growth targets by 2015.

According to him, multinational business entities began on a minimal scale and they had stood the test of time in contributing immensely to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth.

Speaking to the Daily Graphic on the sidelines of the Ghana Business Forum organised by GEPA, under the auspices of the Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) and the Gambia Investment and Export Promotion Agency (GIEPA) in Banjul, The Gambia, Dr Owusu-Agyemang said the participation of smaller businesses would not only go to increase exports from Ghana but also serve as a motivation for job creation and reduce poverty.

“Every economy depends on medium-scale enterprises to advance economic development, thus their participation is key to the attainment of our medium-term strategy,” he said.

Dr Owusu-Agyemang further said the focus on small-scale enterprises was to make sure they fed into bigger ones to facilitate their autonomy.

Citing the example of Bomart Farms, producers and exporters of fresh and dry fruits, he said the company had since grown to become a major supplier to European countries such as Spain and Germany following the exposure gained through participating in international export trade fairs across the sub-region.

The wholly owned Ghanaian company, which he described as being among the leading producers of pineapple and mango fruits, after Golden Exotics, had since diversified its market routes to the West African sub-region.

“The success story of Bomart Farms, Reroy Cables and Kinapharma across Europe and sub-Saharan Africa is what we want to attain with small and medium- scale enterprises working to promote NTEs,” he said.

He paid glowing tribute to the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Export Development and Investment Fund (EDIF) for the relentless support they had given to export fairs organised by the association and pledged GEPA’s commitment to effectively ensure the fulfilment of its mandate.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Mon Dec 19, 2011