Wa Industrial Complex ready for use

Guli (UWR), Sept. 22, GNA - The Wa Municipal Assembly has spent over 400 million cedis in the provision of facilities for a new light industrial complex in the centre of the town. The amount was used in providing three boreholes, electricity and toilet facilities.

Mr. Godfred Bayon Tangu, the Municipal Chief Executive disclosed this when he addressed the passing out ceremony of 48 trainees in weaving, tie and dye, batik and soap making at Guli near Wa. The training programme was organised by the Department of Social Welfare under the Government's Skills Training and Employment Placement (STEP) programme.

Mr. Tangu urged the graduands to explore all possible avenues to seek assistance to put the skills they had acquired into use to enable them to raise their income levels and generate employment. He, however, told them to use any little resources they may have to start their businesses in a small way without depending heavily on loans.

"Loans alone may not help us. Big business people have made it in life without loans. So we should not think of sourcing huge sums of money before starting enterprises," he advised.

Mr. Tangu assured the Department of Social Welfare that the assembly would provide a borehole and electricity under the Self-Help Electrification Programme (SHEP) to the "Remand Home" where the STEP programmes were being held.

He also urged communities, which were to benefit from SHEP to protect the electricity cables from being stolen.

In a speech read on his behalf, the Upper West Regional Minister, Mr. Sahanun Mogtari said the Regional Co-ordinating Council would mobilise the district assemblies to support the department to enhance the STEP programme.

He called on the department to link the trainees to sources of credit in order to get them actively engaged in practising the skills they had acquired.

Mr. Lawrence Azam, Upper West Regional Director of the department lauded the Government's intention to release funds to these trainees in support of their businesses.

He appealed to financial institutions, which had problems tracing the beneficiaries to contact the department for assistance.