Venture into self-employment activities, graduates advised

Accra, Dec. 5, GNA - Mr. Francis Osei Kusi, National Coordinator of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, has asked graduates to venture into self-employment activities since government alone could not create jobs for all of them.

"Due to over reliance on government to create jobs for graduates that our universities produce yearly, about 30 per cent of them find themselves entangled in the web of unemployment which does not augur well for the nation", he said

Mr Kusi, who was speaking at the 30th anniversary celebrations of Akan Centre Furniture Company Limited, in Accra on Saturday, called on Ghanaians to save with banks to help reduce interest rate.

According to him, prices of goods in the country were very high due to the high interest rates that were being charged by banks from borrowers. Mr Kusi said: "Our markets are flooded with goods from foreign countries like China because their interest rates are very low leading to mass production of goods as opposed to our own".

Mr. Emmanuel Kwaw Korsah, Chief Executive Officer of Akan Furniture, praised government and the Japanese International Corporation Agency for assisting the company.

He cited the death of the company's general manager and a demolition exercise carried out in 1987 by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, to uplift the image of Accra, which affected the company's structure, as some of the challenges that the company went through.

Mr Korsah said the company had now trained about 2,000 people since its establishment in 1979 and had 60 workers with a seven-member management team and six teaching staff, 30 non-formal apprentices and 15 formal students of the newly established Akan School of Technology.

He said the School was established to train trainers of artisans to enable them to acquire modern technological skills to enhance productivity. "Some of the achievements of the company also include the accommodation of twenty of its staff in the company's residence at Sowutuom, a suburb in Accra and the acquisition of about 40 acres of land at Ashalijah, near Amasaman for a modern showroom.

Mr Korsah said that the company had won Dr. Kwame Nkrumah Outstanding Performance in Enterprise Award for the year 2007, Best Manned Furniture Stand at GIFEX 1993 and the Best Small and Medium Enterprise in 2008. Mr. Lawrence Addo, Deputy Director of Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare, advised Ghanaians to patronise goods produced in the country to help boost the Gross Domestic Product of the country. He praised the company for its contribution towards the growth of the economy and for training the underprivileged free of charge. 5 Dec. 09