GRi Business, Economics & Finance 11 – 06 - 2003

Ministry of Trade to conduct technology audit

Accra (Greater Accra) 11 June 2003 - The Ministry of Trade, Industry and President's Special Initiative (PSI) is to conduct a technology audit of the industrial sector with the view to improving the country's technology base. Alan Kyerematen, Sector Minister, said on Tuesday the move formed part of a technology improvement programme expected to bring about higher competitiveness for Ghanaian products with respect to pricing, among other factors.

He was speaking at a meeting with some executive members of the Ghana Institution of Engineers who called on him in Accra to find common areas of interest that they could collaborate in for the growth of the economy. The Minister observed that most of the machinery and technology practices in the country had become obsolete and therefore did not have all the required elements for market competition.

Therefore, the ministry was taking the initiative to improve technology and also promote training for the industrial sector.

Kyerematen said the current workforce lacked the required training to fit into the industrial sector and urged the Institution to assist to design curriculum that would help build the capacity of school leavers to fit into industries.

The Minister said it was important as a country to appreciate the need for growth and not only to concentrate on poverty reduction. "It is therefore, important to look beyond development programmes and also determine what it will take to grow," Kyerematen said.

"The new industrial reform and accelerated programmes of the ministry should be the agenda for growth," he added.

Kyerematen said the underpinning factors of the agenda for growth were for the nation to pursue export-led industrial drive that was focused on agro and manufacturing sectors with the aim to creating wealth for the rural communities and other vulnerable groups.

He said there was the need to also promote import substitution of certain products with a target to produce about 50 per cent of all processed foods and 70 per cent of government imports.

Kyerematen said these were factors that led the Ministry to come up with the Rural Enterprise Initiative. The Ministry has already begun the implementation of the initiative, which seeks among other things, to bring development to the doorsteps of the rural people.

Under the initiative, all the 110 districts in the country are to come up with three commercially viable projects to be implemented within three years. The initiative has already started in earnest and the Ministry has tasked each district to select projects that fit into their economic opportunities.

Kyerematen explained that his ministry would only serve as a facilitator to arrange for access to ready market and financial assistance from, especially, the private sector. Ato Wright, President of the Institution, said engineering was found in every aspect of Ghana's economic development.

He said the problem facing the country now was that engineers were not involved in projects thereby bringing about problems that needed to be solved later. Wright said the Institution had been approached to redesign engineering aspects of many projects that had been concluded or were ongoing.

This, he said, could be avoided if members were involved either as individuals or as an institution. Wright observed that the Institution's theme for the year, which is "Engineering, a Key to Poverty Alleviation" was in line with government's vision and pledged members' support for the vision.

GRi…/

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