Business News of Saturday, 18 October 2014

Source: Daily Heritage

We are ready to support gov’t - AGI

The president of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), James Asare-Adjei, has called on government to promote entrepreneurship in the country to encourage more people to start small-scale businesses.

He further expressed their readiness to support government in promoting interest that will see businesses in the country blossom.

"The government has a key impact not just on how many new businesses are created, but also, and perhaps more importantly, on the nature of these firms and their ability to grow," he said.

He noted that limited access to power, water and good roads together with lack of access to finance and increasing operational cost were rendering their businesses uncompetitive.

Going forward, Mr. Asare-Adjei urged young entrepreneurs to build formidable teams which he believed was a step to success in every business.

"On many occasions, we have advocated that deliberate policy initiatives and incentives by the government to support the local industry can deliver significant results if well planned and implemented," he mentioned.

He further pledged AGI's support to help the initiative to be a success.

On her part, the Chief Executive Officer of Stratcomm Africa, Esther Cobbah, said the story of their humble beginnings motivated them to bring out the initiative to support and encourage entrepreneurs in Ghana.

According to her, Africa, as a continent, was receiving attention as the driver of global economic growth, hence, the need to utilize natural resources around them, saying "It is Ghanaians who must be at the centre of realizing this potential."

She was of the view that creativity and determination of entrepreneurs were critical for bringing about improvements to the livelihood of the whole society.

"Deepening the culture of entrepreneurs in Ghana is the surest way of heading towards the upper middle-income status that we aspire as a country," she mentioned.