Govt cannot put money into the pockets of Ghanaians directly- NBSSI

Sunyani (B/A) Feb. 17 GNA - Mr Ibrahim Zubairu, a board member of the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) has observed that it is not the mandate of the government to create direct employment facilities for the people.

He said it was in this context that the NBSSI was created to fulfil the national responsibility to put money in the pockets of the people by providing the enabling environment for the formal and informal sectors to thrive.

Mr. Zubairu, also a lecturer at the Accra Polytechnic made the observation during a visit to the Sunyani Municipal Business Advisory Centres (BAC), as part of a nationwide tour by the NBSSI board to do situational analysis about the state of the centres in the district

He said the BACs created under the NBSSI were meant to offer opportunities for the people to establish their own businesses with training and facilitation. He said through these interventions: "Government indirectly will be creating jobs for the people all over the country and consequently achieve the better Ghana agenda."

Mr. Zubairu expressed the need to identify the problems and challenges of the BACs/NBSSIs on the ground, resource and revamp them to impact on the Micro-Small Enterprises (MSEs).

He asked non-governmental organisations (NGOs) engaged in the MSE landscape should operate as stakeholders and collaborators alongside the NBSSI/BACs to ensure sanity in the promotion of the enterprises.

Mr. Zubairu expressed the hope that the Legislative Instrument 434 establishing the NBSSI would soon be passed into law to empower the board= to exercise supervisory control over the NGOs and other organisations relate= d to the MSEs. Madam Beatrice Boakye, Brong-Ahafo Regional Manageress of the NBSSI said government was financing 10 out of the 14 BACs operating in the regi= on, whilst the Rural Enterprise Project was funding the remaining four.