SMEs provide over 85% of manufacturing jobs - Dr John-Hawkins
Technical Advisor to the Minister of Trade and Industry, John-Hawkins Asiedu, has noted that Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) provide numerous manufacturing jobs in the country.
Read full articleAccording to him, this sector also contributes 70% of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as it focuses more on exports.
Speaking at the West Africa Connect programme in Accra on September 20, 2022, the Technical Advisor to the Minister of Trade and Industry noted that it is for this reason that government is looking forward to boosting the SME sector, as well as, linking SMEs to supply chain of large enterprises.
"Government is focused on SME capacity development in the area of profiling, match-making and linkage to the supply chain of large enterprises as many actors in the business space, we cannot overemphasize the importance of the SMEs sector in the economic development of Ghana and West Africa as a whole," he said.
"In Ghana, about 70% of all industrial establishment are micro-small and medium enterprises that provide over 85% of manufacturing jobs and 70% of gross domestic product. MSMEs contribute significantly to the overall export earnings from the non-traditional export sector and create jobs at relatively low capital," he added.
John-Hawkins Asiedu further said government is acquiring litigation-free lands for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
This forms part of measures put in place by government to help grow the sector by introducing industrial parks development and special initiatives.
It would also help these small and medium businesses upscale their production for exports.
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