By Yussif Ibrahim
Akyawkrom (Ash), Nov. 20, GNA – The International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation (INBAR) is organising a month-long capacity training for artisans in bamboo-based enterprises as part of efforts to promote the economic potential of bamboo and rattan resources.
The training, which targets Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) into bamboo and rattan products in Ghana, also seeks to expose beneficiaries to innovation and modern designs to improve the quality of their products and their marketability.
Women involved in weaving various products with bamboo are receiving the training in the first part of the exercise with those into furniture taking their turn in the second part of the training later.
The training formed part of a Triangular Cooperation between Germany, India and Ghana aimed at developing bamboo-based enterprises for sustainable livelihood and income generation.
Bamboo is increasingly becoming a relevant resource for job creation and income generation, yet it is characterised by low value addition and limited market-oriented products.
The situation is attributed to lack of investment, business and technical skills training and orientation towards developing high value products and creating a viable bamboo enterprise that can generate adequate income and contribute to the local and national economies.
The Triangular Cooperation, therefore, proposes a bamboo-based enterprise development approach that can create sustainable high-value economic opportunities for farmers, artisans, MSEs, designers, traders and exporters.
The German Government, through the GIZ, would be working closely with INBAR and the Forestry Commission Training Centre (FCTC), to undertake the promotion of bamboo-based enterprise development work in a sustainable manner.
Mr. Michael Kwaku, the West Africa Regional Director of INBAR, said experts from India were facilitating the training and the idea was to transfer the skills and technology in producing bamboo products in India to local artisans.
He said India had competitive advantage in terms of designs innovation and also using simple but efficient processing tools to produce quality products.
He explained that producing bamboo and rattan products was labour intensive hence introducing the artisans to such tools and equipment could go a long way to enhance productivity and also minimise waste.
The Ghana Enterprise Agency (GEA), he said, would also be on hand to take beneficiaries through basic financial and managerial training, stressing the need to teach them how to run their businesses after equipping them with the skills.
GNA