ABOUT 90 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have benefited from a six-month training programme aimed at increasing their productivity and efficiency as well as creating jobs in the country.

The training was made possible through €100,000 grant provided by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development to the Management Development and Productivity Institute (MDPI) to build the capacity of SMEs under an initiative dubbed: “Sustaining competitive and responsible enterprises (SCORE)”.

It was implemented in partnership with the German Development Agency (GIZ) as part of an “Invest for Jobs” a programme of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

A press release issued by the MDPI and GIZ in Accra on February 15, said official certification day ceremony was held to mark the official closure of this training programme, labelled SCORE for SMEs.

SCORE is a global programme of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) that seeks to improve productivity and working conditions in SMEs.

The training combines practical classroom sessions with in-factory consulting. It demonstrates the best international practices in the manufacturing and service sectors and helps SMEs to participate in global supply chains.

This ultimately leads to the growth of enterprises, job creation and economic development.

The SCORE programme was first launched in 2011 in Ghana with funding from the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) of Switzerland and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD).

In July 2021, a grant agreement was signed with the MDPI to implement to train 90 SMEs under the SCORE programme with the objective of boosting the productivity of SMEs and creating jobs.

Resource efficiency

The Country Director of GIZ Ghana, Mrs Regina Bauerochse, stated in the release that “improving resource efficiency and promoting cleaner production of SMEs is a topic that has become increasingly relevant in recent times and within the scope of the ‘Green Recovery’ following the Covid-19 pandemic.”

“We have already received positive results from some of the supported SMEs in areas of energy conservation, proper waste management, production time management which is expected to boost their productivity. 

We are therefore highly optimistic that this strong partnership with the MDPI and the ILO would result in greater impacts in terms of productivity and the creation of at least 150 decent jobs for our SMEs, which is core mandate of Invest for Jobs,” Mr Barbosa said in the release. 

The programme

The Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour Relation, Mr Bright Wireko Brobby, indicated in the release that with SCORE phase III, the programme focused on building local capacity to take over the running and delivery by both public and private sector stakeholders.

As a result, the MDPI, SCORE Training Solution Ghana (STSG) and Federation of Professional Trade Associations in Ghana (FEPTAG) have been equipped with certified SCORE trainers to deliver across the country.

As part of the sustainability strategy, he said, the ministry through the MDPI has mainstream SCORE into its programme and activities.

Thus, together with STSG and FEPTAG, a lot of enterprises stand to benefit this world standard business productivity and decent work improvement programme.

SCORE does not only seek to improve enterprises productivity, it also improves the working conditions of workers as well as improves relations between employers and employees through social dialogue, the Minister explained.

The deputy minister also expressed happiness that with SCORE programme mainstreamed into the operations of the MDPI and especially its alignment into public service delivery, the programme will become a tool to improve enterprise development and employment creation for the masses.

Implementing partners

The Director General of?MDPI, Mr Kweku Odame-Takyi, said in the press release that the involvement of MDPI and the other implementation partners in delivering the SCORE/BCP which benefited over 500 individuals and teams confirms the role MDPI can play in increasing productivity and competitiveness of SMEs in Ghana.

The programme also speaks to the agenda of the ruling the government in the promotion of One District, One Factory (1D1F).

In recognition of the role of MDPI, the Institute has received financial clearance for various positions including six Consultants and two Directors to join the team and eventually increase the capability of MDPI to deliver and extend the SCORE/BCP training programmes to other parts of the country.