Bussiness
Obuasi Enterprise and Skills Development Center to boost local economy inaugurated
An Enterprise and Skills Development Center, serving as a one-stop hub to provide solutions to local businesses and also support skills development and capacity building, has been inaugurated at Obuasi in the Ashanti Region.
The project, jointly executed by AngloGold Ashanti Ghana (AGAG), Obuasi Mine, and the AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Community Trust Fund, aims to boost the local economy of the mining community.
It comes with varied facilities, including a multipurpose conference and training unit, business unit, fully-equipped industrial sewing, and bead-making units, a fully-equipped workshop, hand sanitizer production unit, and eight mini-meeting areas.
Dr Eric Asubonteng, Managing Director of the AGAG, Obuasi Mine, said the project was in line with the Enterprise Development Programme under the Social Management Plan of the company.
The Programme, according to him, had provided business solution support to about 600 businesses at Obuasi, covering women-owned businesses and artisans to enhance their productive capacity, efficiency, and ability to compete on the market.
He added that the Center also aimed at functioning as an anchor for the private sector development objective of the AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Community Trust Fund.
Under the Trust Fund’s Skills Development Programme, 60 master craft persons have been trained in leather works, bead craft, and fashion design, amongst others.
“Undoubtedly, the Obuasi Enterprise and Skills Development Centre has the potential to boost the local economy by developing market ready training programmes that will improve the living conditions of our youth and enhance their self-reliance,” Dr. Asubonteng observed.
He was hopeful the Center would, to a large extent, improve both human and economic capital, and assist in the development and fast flow of business activities in the mining community and other host communities.
Mr Simon Osei-Mensah, the Regional Minister, lauded the mining company for resuscitating the local economy, saying, the Center added up to the many initiatives designed to equip the people with employable skills.
“Any economy whose strength is dependent on the private sector is bound to succeed,” he noted, citing how the likes of China, Japan, Germany, amongst others, had built resilient informal sectors to underpin sustainable growth.
Consequently, the people ought to avail themselves of the programmes offered at the Center to empower them for wealth creation, he advised.
Nana Oppong Boakye Yiadom, Board Member of the AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Community Trust Fund, lauded the mining company for resourcing the Fund to meet its expectations.
He called on the people, especially the youth, to embrace employable skills training courses to open up opportunities for them to establish their own businesses.
The event had the presence of traditional authorities within the catchment area of the Obuasi Mine. -GNA
Bussiness
Charterhouse announces the Business Elevate Series with launch of ‘The Gastro Feastival’
Charterhouse, Ghana’s leading event management and audiovisual production company, is marking its 25th anniversary of delivering top-tier events with the introduction of an exciting new initiative: The Business Elevate Series.
This innovative series is designed to shine a spotlight on key economic sectors through a series of dynamic B2B and B2C events, including industry conferences, seminars, and exhibitions.
Kicking off the series is The Gastro Feastival, a groundbreaking annual food industry festival that will showcase Ghana’s rich and diverse food ecosystem and agribusinesses from production to consumption.
The launch event will take place on Friday, March 7, 2025, from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the Grand Arena (Accra International Conference Centre).
This landmark event will bring together food industry stakeholders, enthusiasts, experts, and organizations to highlight the food industry’s critical role in Ghana’s socio-economic development and culture.
It will also promote food security, digital innovation, women’s empowerment, youth employment in agribusiness, and sustainable practices.
The Business Elevate Series is a game-changing initiative designed to foster growth and transformation across multiple sectors. With Charterhouse’s deep expertise in organizing impactful meetings, the series aims to unlock investment opportunities, drive innovation, and catalyze social and economic change.
The Gastro Feastival will address six major pillars that drive industry transformation: Investment Opportunities; Job Creation; Innovation, Technology, and Digitization; Youth Involvement (entrepreneurship and career opportunities); Women’s Involvement; Environmental and Social Governance (ESG); Export Opportunities
The event will also establish a Resource Bank, spotlighting key growth opportunities and ensuring the effective allocation of resources to transform Ghana’s food industry.
The Gastro Feastival is a Charterhouse initiative, with Kosmos Innovation Centre as the technical partner.
Bussiness
Ghana’s GDP shows economy is fast recovering despite DDEP – Finance Ministry
Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) indicates a rapid economic recovery despite global challenges and ongoing debt restructuring, according to the Ministry of Finance (MoF).
The Ministry in a statement today indicated that latest data from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), cumulative economic growth for the second quarter (Q2) of 2024 reached 6.9%, a notable increase from the 4.7% recorded in the first quarter of 2024.
The MoF statement further noted that, “The economy’s robust recovery is in response to the macroeconomic stability and growth interventions that government is pursuing under our IMF-supported Post Covid-19 Programme for Economic Growth (PC-PEG).”
According to them, the overall real GDP growth for the first half of 2024 rebounded strongly, with year-on-year GDP growth averaging 5.8% for the period, significantly higher than the 2.9% recorded in the same period in 2023.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Read full statement below
