Support for SMEs key to economic growth — Liberal think tank
Ghana’s economy will continue to grow at a slow pace unless small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) get the needed resources to operate efficiently, a research by a liberal economic think tank has said.
The Bastiat Ghana Institute (BGI) has, therefore, urged managers of the economy to start the country’s economic transformation agenda from the community level by empowering small-scale entrepreneurs.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra the Executive Director of BGI, Dr Emmanuel Tweneboah Senzu, said for Ghana’s economy to maintain its balance and attract foreign support, the government should turn its attention to small businesses.
“The key to transforming the economic fortunes of Ghana depends greatly on creating the right environment for small businesses to operate,” he said.
BGI determined
Dr Senzu said BGI was willing to commit labour efforts and resources to support the revolutionisation of what he called “the community-based mentality and commitment towards reforming the economy”.
“We are also willing to partner any government, while we stay politically neutral, partner successful entrepreneurs and donor agencies that believe it is possible to empower the economy of Ghana to be independent,” he added.
Dr Senzu added that it was incumbent on Ghanaians and the nation’s leaders to work towards bringing Ghana back to a strong economic independence state.
Touching on the role of the church in the economy, Dr Senzu called on charismatic churches to minimise miracle encounter philosophical doctrines.
“It is proven by the holy book in several circumstances that attest that ‘heaven is only ready to help those who help themselves”. To us at Bastiat Ghana, we believe the role of the church and spiritual centres of Africa for economic development could never be underestimated.”
Dr Senzu noted that the kind of teachings from the church would give birth to the kind of efficient labour force the country could rely upon to drive the economic agenda.