Mr. Ebenezer Kpentey, a BUSAC communications specialist, said the Region recorded low applications in the past and challenged the PSOs to take advantage of the opportunity to bridge barriers in the business sector and open up the Region for rapid economic growth.

Mr. Kpentey was speaking at an information sharing session for stakeholders following the publication of calls for concept notes for the grants.

He said challenges such as high cost of doing business, bureaucracy, as well as unfavourable laws and policies were off-putting entrepreneurs and needed to be addressed through advocacy.

 Mr Kpentey said the Fund would support PSOs to engage duty bearers through evidence-based advocacy that would result in policy changes and improve business regulatory framework towards job and wealth creation.

 BUSAC Fund is a programme set up to strengthen the advocacy capacity of private sector business groups and associations in Ghana. It is supported by DANIDA (the lead Development Partner), USAID and DFID, with the first phase of the programme running from 2004 to February 2010, during which the Fund provided a total of 362 advocacy grants to various business groups and associations within the ten regions of Ghana.

 The second phase of the Fund was a five-year extension to BUSAC Fund one and was intended to consolidate the gains made in BUSAC Fund one and to further spread the concept of advocacy to all sectors of the economy in all the regions of Ghana. The third phase of the BUSAC Fund (BUSAC III) builds upon the experiences gained from its predecessors (BUSAC I & II) and is aimed at further improving the business environment in Ghana to facilitate private sector growth.

 This involves reducing the spread and concentrating on fewer, larger private sector associations that have nationwide membership as well as building the long term sustainability of the PSOs to continue with structured and evidence-based business advocacy in the absence of BUSAC Fund support.The Ho information sharing seminar attracted Beautician Associations, Bee-Keepers Associations, Farmer Groups, Fashion Designers, and Business Consultants among others.