Japan supports Ghana to build capacity of MSMEs

Japan is committed to giving the necessary technical assistance to enable Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) become more vibrant in Ghana. Mr. Jiro Inamura, the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Resident Representative, who gave the promise, said developing a proactive MSMEs base was fundamental to achieving a buoyant economy, to promote manufacturing and generate jobs for the people. Addressing a forum on the "KAIZEN" project in Kumasi, Mr Inamura, said some developed countries built their economies by concentrating on and also investing in the private sector. KAIZEN is a Japanese philosophy, concept and methodology of continuous improvement of quality and productivity with minimum investment. Mr. Inamura indicated that the project had the objective of strengthening the overall skills and expertise of staff of the Business Advisory Centres (BACs) of the National Board for Small-Scale Industries (NBSSI). This is to empower them to deliver quality business development services to MSMEs to ensure their sustainable growth. The project, being piloted in the Ashanti Region for three years, is being financed jointly by the governments of Ghana and Japan and NBSSI is the partner organization implementing the project. Mr. Inamura said the KAIZEN concept of developing MSMEs would be introduced to the other regions after the pilot project. Mr. Saeed Owusu-Brobbey, Regional Manager of the NBSSI, said nine enterprises selected in the region had already undergone KAIZEN training aimed at assisting them to improve their operations.