Mr. Miyasaka (left) presents items to Ms. Yankey-Ayeh (right)
THE JAPAN International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has on behalf of a Japanese firm, FANCL Corporation, presented 2,500 face masks and customized African print face masks designed for children to the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI).
The Japanese cosmetic and dietary supplement company, as part of its corporate social responsibility, sought to complement NBSSI’s efforts in supporting micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) during the Covid-19 Pandemic.
“JICA recognizes the need for MSMEs to be protected during this pandemic and believes that these face masks would help protect MSMEs and enable them remain productive and become resilient,” said Kazunori Miyasaka, a JICA representative who presented the masks for distribution to MSMEs in the Ashanti and Greater Accra regions.
Executive Director of NBSSI, Kosi Yankey-Ayeh, expressed her gratitude to JICA and FANCL Corporation for the support towards strengthening and growing the MSME Sector particularly at a time when COVID-19 cases were on the rise.
She stated that NBSSI would ensure MSMEs received the masks so that they were protected during training sessions.
Mrs. Yankey-Ayeh indicated that the extension of the Kaizen Project was in alignment with the government’s Industrial Transformation Agenda to change the face of Ghana’s economy through the provision of timely and innovative interventions.
Currently, JICA and NBSSI under the auspices of the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI) have entered into a five-year Enterprise Development Project with Kaizen (EDP-K) Agreement.
The Project which commenced in 2020 sought to among other things provide technical support to develop and implement Business Development Service Provision Model, Financial Model to improve MSMEs access to finance and a model to enhance the quality of start-up support.
The JICA Project Team in collaboration with NBSSI has so far conducted a Covid-19 Impact Survey, provided remote consultation to MSMEs and is currently conducting an online training in Business Planning, Financial Management and Marketing for Heads of the Business Advisory Centres in the Ashanti and Greater Accra regions.