The
Methodist Church Ghana in collaboration with the Rural Enterprises Programme
(REP) has established a Rural Technology Facility (ORTF) in Offinso in the
Ashanti Region. The establishment of the GH¢459,000 facility marks a
unique partnership between the public and private sector in the delivery of
services for enterprises development. The establishment of the facility was
initiated by the Kumasi Diocese of the Methodist Church and supported by REP-II.
The ORTF, located at Offinso-Adukro, will train the youth in and around the Offinso
Municipality in viable trades and equip them with employable skills. The facility’s operation
will also increase access to improved technology by the rural
enterprises in the district and beyond. It will also train artisans and
apprentices in engineering based technology to manufacture the requisite
equipment and machinery to reduce the drudgery associated with the use of
traditional technologies. The Facility will work closely with the Business
Advisory Centre and the Offinso Municipal Assembly to provide integrated
business support services to establish and grow businesses in the municipality.
Speaking
at the commissioning of the ORTF, Minister for Trade and Industry, Hon. Hanna
Tetteh congratulated the leadership and members of the Methodist Church
for their initiative to establish the facility. She explained that such public-private
partnership reduces the pressure on government’s scarce resources for
development activities and also promotes greater efficiency in the management
of interventions, leading to improved services.
The facility if properly managed, will serve as a catalyst for
industrialization and “strengthen
basic engineering and technology transfer capacity at the Municipal level and
help improve product quality as well as productivity and competitiveness of
rural enterprises. This should translate into the transfer of appropriate
technology to farmers, agro-processors, metal- based artisans and allied
enterprises. It should also promote the training of the unemployed youth as
well as apprentices in viable artisanal trades. The Facility should ensure that
our farmers and enterprises have easy access to technology”, Ms Tetteh emphasised.
The
Trade and Industry Minister noted that the successful operation and
sustainability of the facility will depend on effective management of the RTF.
She therefore charged the RTF’s management board, made of up of the Methodist
Church, Municipal Assembly, practising technologists, traditional rulers,
opinion leaders and local trade associations, to provide strategic direction in
the operation of the facility. “The Board
should ensure that farmers, agro-processors and artisans are supported with
appropriate technology to increase their output and income...The activities of
the facility should be directly linked with agriculture to prevent post harvest
loss and promote technology based agriculture. This will entice the youth to
consider agriculture as a career option,” Ms Tetteh advised.
Ashanti
Regional Regional Minister, Dr. Kweku Agyeman Mensah, mentioned that the Offinso
RTF, together with three established RTFs in the region would promote the
transfer of improved technology and increase the competitiveness of enterprises
in the region. He said the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council (ARCC) is
delighted to be associated with REP because of its focus on investing in
people, jobs and the economy. “This I believe is one of the surest ways of
reducing poverty and improving the living conditions of the rural poor. I hope
all the districts in the region will participate in the Rural Enterprises
Programme to enable more people increase their incomes and improve their
livelihoods”, Dr. Agyeman
Mensah added.
The
Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana, Most Reverend Professor
Emmanuel Asante, said his church has over the years undertaken numerous
socio-economic activities to empower the poor and reduce poverty. Prof. Asante
explained that it is in fulfillment of this mandate of the Church that the
Methodist Development and Relief Services (MDRS) was established in 2003.
“The Methodist Church, Ghana through the Methodist
Development and Relief Services initiated discussions on areas of collaboration
with the Rural Enterprises Project Phase Two based on our common development
agenda in improving the quality of life of the vulnerable in rural areas. This
led to the organization of various skills training programmes and business support
services for members of the church in a number of communities and districts.
Through these interventions members of the church have established their own
businesses leading to increase in incomes”, Prof. Asante said.
National
Programme Director of REP, Mr. Kwasi Attah-Antwi, said REP since its inception
as the Rural Enterprises Project has collaborated with other micro and small
enterprises support institutions, including NGOs, to improve living conditions
in rural areas, through self and wage employment. Mr. Attah-Antwi mentioned
that there have been discussions to increase the participation of the private
sector in the establishment and operations of the RTFs nationwide to make them more
sustainable.
A Rural Technology Facility is a technical
workshop equipped with metal working machines for technical training and the
development and promotion of appropriate technology to micro and small-scale
enterprises (MSEs) in the municipality or district. It consists mainly of two
sections: metal machining and automobile repair; and welding/fabrication.
The Minister for Trade and Industry
inaugurated the ORTF and was assisted by the Ashanti Regional Minister. The
Omanhene of the Offinso Traditional Area, Nana Wiafe Akenten III witnessed the
event. Also present at the event were numerous members of the Methodist Church,
traditional rulers, and residents of Offinso.
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