Dignitaries in a group photograph at the Ghana National Kaizen awards 2025
Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Momoko Suzuki, has reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to promoting Kaizen practice for businesses in the country to improve productivity.
Speaking at a recent Kaizen awards held in Accra, Ms Suzuki expressed hope that the winners will represent Ghana and make a significant impact at the 6th Africa Kaizen Awards, initiated by JICA in partnership with AUDA-NEPAD to provide standardisation and excellent service delivery through knowledge and experience sharing, boosting the competitiveness of Africa’s industrial sector.
National Project Coordinator, United Nations Industrial Development Organsation (UNIDO) Ghana, Kipo Dari, noted, “MSMEs play a crucial role in Ghana’s economy, driving societal development and generating employment. Through capacity building, the UNIDO support in Ghana aims to facilitate MSME growth, market access, and international trade.”
He added, UNIDO collaboration with JICA and Ghana Enterprise Agency (GEA), and the development of an innovative digital tool for Ghana manufacturing sector is demonstration of our commitment and drive for inclusive industrialisation.
Professor Elijah Yendaw of Management Development and Productivity Institute (MDPI) indicated that Kaizen provides a practical pathway that shapes how workplaces are organised, innovate, and serve.
To sustain Kaizen, GEA has incorporated Kaizen as service into its core operations and initiatives. This has led to more than 33,478 micro and small enterprises receiving fundamental training in Kaizen through partnerships with other development partners such as UNIDO and the institution’s own initiatives such as the Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Works, the Ghana Jobs and Skills Project and the Bizbox Project.
After a rigorous selection process involving field visits, expert evaluations, and performance presentations, the following enterprises were nominated for the GNKA 2025: Odina Couture (micro enterprise, garments, Adenta Lakeside Estate), Eya Naturals (micro enterprise, hair products, Spintex Road), Aniwasu Garment (micro enterprise, textiles, Shama), Kofi Vinyo Ltd (micro enterprise, tiger nut powder production, Sunyani), KNUST Fruits (micro enterprise, fruit juice production, Sunyani), and Amanex Ltd (medium enterprise, Accra).
The UNIDO Smart Performance Analytics for Real-time Kaizen (U-SPARK), a digital tool designed to strengthen the capacity of Ghanaian enterprises to leverage digitalisation for diagnosing challenges, optimising production processes and building resilient value chains that enhance competitiveness both locally and internationally was launched.
“Importantly, the U-Spark Project is expected to serve as a catalyst for the Government of Ghana’s 24-hour economy initiative by enabling enterprises to embrace technology-driven efficiency and expand their production capacity around the clock”, said Ms. Margaret Ansei, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Enterprises Agency.
Ms. Margaret also added that through initiatives like the Kaizen Awards and U-Spark pilot, GEA is transforming productivity thinking across MSMEs.
The U-SPARK pilot Companies presented with Certificates includes Aspee Pharmaceuticals Limited, Taabea Company Limited, Yedent Agro Group of Companies Limited, Mass Industries Limited, Bomarts Farms Limited and Aniwasu Garments.
By Prince Fiifi Yorke