ILO Training Boosts Productivity and Opportunities for Shea Entrepreneurs

Beneficiaries of the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Productivity Ecosystems for Decent Work (PE4DW) Project in the Savannah Region have highlighted the positive impact the initiative has had on the growth and management of their enterprises.

The project, through its Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprises (SCORE) training programme, equipped participants with skills in proper business management practices, effective communication, financial management and product quality assurance.

Ms Amina Mumuni of Amishea Company Ltd in Bole, one of the beneficiaries, told the Ghana News Agency that the training helped her enterprise recognise the importance of strengthening its marketing strategy.

According to her, the business had since identified the need to engage a marketing strategist to improve the company’s visibility and competitiveness.

She spoke during a ceremony in Bole organised by the ILO to present certificates to participating enterprises that completed the training programme.

In all, ten shea-processing enterprises in the Savannah Region received the business management training, which aimed to improve productivity and promote decent work practices within their operations.

The training programme directly impacted 574 members across the ten enterprises.

The PE4DW project is a global multi-country initiative implemented in Ghana, South Africa and Vietnam. It is funded by the governments of Switzerland and Norway through the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD).

As part of the programme, 40 participants drawn from the ten enterprises underwent a series of training sessions and factory-based coaching.

The trainees are expected to transfer the knowledge and skills they acquired to other workers within their respective organisations.

Ms Mumuni said before participating in the training, her enterprise operated in a largely informal manner.

However, she noted that the programme had helped them appreciate the need to formalise their operations and adopt improved marketing strategies to strengthen their business.

“Initially, we were operating normally and somehow informally, but after the training we realised we need to be more formal as an enterprise and improve our visibility and marketing strategy,” she said.

Mr Adam Saana of Titiaka CMA, another beneficiary enterprise based in Damango, also said the training had contributed to the growth of their operations.

He explained that the enterprise had expanded its activities and increased its membership from 36 to 53 people since benefiting from the programme.

The beneficiaries expressed gratitude to the ILO for the support, saying the intervention had helped them improve their operations and create more opportunities for people who might otherwise have remained unemployed.

In a speech read on his behalf, Mr David Marcos, Project Manager of the PE4DW initiative, said the training formed part of broader efforts to strengthen productivity at the enterprise level.

He explained that the programme sought to promote productivity growth for decent work by combining different approaches that strengthen productivity drivers across policy, sector and enterprise levels.

According to him, increased productivity could lead to better remuneration and improved working conditions for workers, while better working environments could also help raise productivity levels.

Mr Marcos noted that the intervention in the shea sector demonstrated the ILO’s commitment to supporting development in northern Ghana, which he described as a region with significant growth potential despite its vulnerabilities.

Hajia Rabiatu Abukari, President of the Ghana Shea Employers Association, commended the ILO and its partners for their continued support to the shea industry in Ghana, particularly in the northern regions where the sector plays an important economic role.

Mr Abukari Ibrahim, the Savannah Regional Labour Officer, also expressed optimism about the programme’s potential to contribute to the creation of decent employment opportunities for unemployed youth.

He urged the beneficiary enterprises to apply the knowledge and skills they had acquired to strengthen their businesses and remain competitive and responsible in their operations.

As part of the programme, the beneficiaries also received training on mental health and psychosocial support, which organisers said was essential for improving productivity and maintaining healthy workplaces.