MINISTER COMMISSIONS RURAL TECHNOLOGY CENTRE

The Minister for trade and Industry, Honorable Hannah Tetteh has commissioned a rural technology centre at Bechem in the Brong Ahafo Region. The commission coincided with the inauguration of the Bechem Light Industrial Area. In a welcome address, the Tano South District Chief Executive, Honorable Bukari Zakari Anaba expressed his gratitude to the people of Tano South for having a fair share of the Rural Enterprise Project since its inception in 1995. He said the facility was established through the collaboration a

nd efforts of the Government of Ghana, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), African Development Bank, the Rural Enterprise Project, sub-committee for small scale and medium Enterprise (SME) of the Assembly.

He said the project since its inception in the District has been of great help to the people. He disclosed that as a result of the project, there has been evidence of increased economic activities in the Micro and Small Scale Enterprise sector. He disclosed that the district can boast of beads making, batik tie and dye, Agro-processing, metal work, fashion design and soap making.

Honorable Bukari Zakari Anaba disclosed that the facility when properly taken care of would provide artisans with access to metal facilities such as lathe turner, pan and folding machine and engine rebooting. This he said would address the problem of artisans travelling from Bechem to Kumasi for these same services. He commended the Bechem Traditional Council and GIZ for supporting the establishment of the Bechem Light Industr

ial Area.

Also in a speech the Minister of Trade and Industry, Honorable Hannah Tetteh said government through her outfit is creating more jobs for Ghanaians to help address the unemployment rate engulfing the country. She hinted that with the establishment of such projects in other districts, over 50,000 jobs would be created to help support families. She said the Rural Enterprise Project since its inception has trained many Ghanaians in soap making, batik tie and dye and has given startup capital to many

graduate apprentices.

She said the focus of the government is to make decentralization work and it is for this reason that the government of Ghana and the Rural Enterprises Project is setting such establishments in rural communities in the country. She revealed that the government would continue to embark on developmental projects to benefit the people since things of good ideas has no political colour. The Minister said the success and failure of the establishment depends on the people that it has been handed to them to manage.



The Brong Ahafo Deputy Regional Minister, Honorable Eric Opoku in his remarks said the rural technology facility would help in poverty alleviation through training of artisans and technology transfer to the entrepreneurs to increase in their productivity and income levels. He also advised the newly inaugurated management board to put measures in place to sustain the life span of the enterprise.


At the end of the programme, a management board was inaugurated to oversee the activities of the facility.