TRAINING PROGRAMME TO ENHANCE SMES CAPACITY UNDERWAY—SAYS TRADE AND INDUSTRY MINISTER

The Minister for Trade and Industry, Hon. Hannah Tetteh revealed in Parliament today that her Ministry has collaborated with the National Procurement Authority, NPA, to develop a training programme to enhance the capacity of the domestic private sector especially Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to enable them respond to and win bids for provision of goods and services.

The programme will also cover the capacity of MDAs procurement entities, she noted. Madam Hannah Tetteh was responding to question filed by the MP for Ablekuma Central, Hon. Theophilus Tetteh Chaie who has sought to know what measures her Ministry has put in place to modify the Procurement Law to allow local businesses compete favourably with foreign ones for Ghanaian contracts. Hon. Chaie additionally asked Madam Tetteh what measures her Ministry is putting in place to ensure that spare parts dealers at Abossey Okai, a suburb of Accra and other areas are given tax incentives to enhance their trade.

The Minster explained that generally, incentives are not provided for imports such as the venture being undertaken by Abossey Okai imported spare parts dealers. However, under the Ministry’s Trade Sector Support Programme, TSSP’s Technology Innovation Centre for Capital Goods project which seeks to integrate foundry, metal working, machine tool training centre for the manufacture of high precision capital goods and machine components, the Ministry will ensure SMEs get the opportunity to undergo training and be considered to attract incentives, Madam Hannah Tetteh assured.

 The Right to Information Bill was later presented and read the first time, and subsequently referred to a Joint Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and Communications for consideration and report.

                                                                               Sitting resumes on Tuesday.