Naana Adiki Manyeyo Adi, the Head of the Community Sustainability Department, Electrochem Ghana Limited, says the company is elevating the status of local women entrepreneurs within the Ada area.
This, she said, would prepare them for competitions in the business world.
Naana Adi said the commercial salt mining company was poised to grow with the women entrepreneurs in the area.
The company, which is a subsidiary of the McDan Group of Companies, has acquired three mining licenses covering about 41,000 acres of concession in the Ada Songor Lagoon for 15 years.
She said that as part of its corporate social responsibility, the company had not only embarked on developmental programmes but also put in programmes including interest-free loans to improve the business operations of women.
Naana Adi, who is the Queen of the Royal Adibiawer Clan, disclosed in an interview with the Ghana News Agency that her outfit organises training sessions in fiscal management for all loan applicants to facilitate the growth of
their businesses in the community.
She added that the local entrepreneurs, especially the women, need such training to prepare them for future competitions.
She explained that if such training were not given, it could lead to the mismanagement of the loan and expose the entrepreneurs to potential bankruptcy, which would stifle their dreams and eliminate them from the business community of Ada.
‘If you go to Makola, the Ga indigenes were not really prepared for its current cosmopolitan nature, and so other big businesspeople took over the core business sector. Most local entrepreneurs are subdued to the competition,’ she said.
She added, however, that ‘I am not being tribalistic here, but if the locals were ready or well prepared, they could have withstood whatever competition they came across and their businesses would boost instead of collapsing.’
Naana Adi stated that the loan initiative is not about the money alone but also to help the locals have business acumen and grow with the company together.
‘
As Electrochem is crawling now, we want to crawl, stand, walk, and grow with the local businesses. If the local businesses collapse, every burden will be left on the shoulders of the company, which may lead to its collapse. That is why we want to empower them to stand on their own and be independent so that the development of the community will be a shared responsibility for both the company and the locals,’ she stressed.
She expressed optimism that the company will play a key role in the development of the Ada State and called for the community’s support to drive the developmental agenda together.
Source: Ghana News Agency