Kosi Yankey-Ayeh
THE GHANA Enterprises Agency (GEA) is reshaping its approach towards supporting private sector players in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector as it embarks on interventions to promote the manufacturing of homegrown solutions.
These interventions, which are also designed to stimulate local markets, would take the form of strategic partnerships with the private sector for scalable, sustainable WASH solutions, organising innovation competitions to find market-led WASH solutions and training GEA staff on opportunities and dynamics of the sector.
Chief Executive Officer of GEA, Kosi Yankey-Ayeh, made this known when she addressed sector players at the opening of a two-day exhibition dubbed ‘Mini Akoben Hand Hygiene Fair.’
The event, a prelude to a main hand hygiene fair slated for October 2021, provided manufacturers of sanitation and hand hygiene products and facilities the platform to showcase innovations that were crucial to the fight against the coronavirus disease.
About 70 exhibitors patronised the event, organised by the GEA in collaboration with the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources and also UNICEF.
Mrs Yankey-Ayeh disclosed that the GEA had so far embarked on projects within the sector where about 300 Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA) have been supported with various forms of Business Development Service (BDS) packages while some 267 latrine artisans, have also been trained, counselled and registered.
“Thirty (30) latrine artisans from Yendi, Kadjebi and Kpandai have been trained in the Kaizen concept to quality and productivity –and 30 welders selected across the country trained in Kaizen,” she said.
She indicated that beyond direct business support provided to businesses, there was the need for well-structured enabling environment to grow MSMEs across all sectors, adding that, “the role of the private sector particularly MSMEs, is to contribute to building a strong and sustainable local market, providing inspirational and affordable products and services without compromising on quality.”
She hinted at organising a sanitation challenge in September which will showcase various innovations for sanitation and hand hygiene developed by Ghanaian entrepreneurs.3
BY Issah Mohammed