The Samira Empowerment for Humanitarian Project (SEHP) has built the capacities of 70 traders from some market centres in Accra in business development skills to give them sustainable livelihoods.

The beneficiaries were drawn from the Agbogbloshie, Okaishie, Abossey Okai markets and surrounding communities.

They were taught proper financial management, bookkeeping, savings and long-term investment plan to help them make progress in their businesses.

Apart from the training, SEPH, through its Skills and Entrepreneurial Development Initiative (SEDI),also, provided GH¢3,000 at zero interest to each trader to support the growth of their businesses.

Training

Speaking to journalists at the training programme in Accra yesterday, the wife of the Vice-President, Mrs Samira Bawumia, explained that the objective of the SEDI was to empower women through training and supporting them financially.

“I want to support and uplift the women in Ghana, and that’s why we are not taking interest, we want to help them grow. There are more women entrepreneurs than men, so if we strengthen them, families will be safer,” she said.

In view of that, she called on benevolent individuals and organisations to support the programme to become a bigger force for women entrepreneurs.

Mrs Bawumia advised the beneficiaries to practise the business skills they had acquired at the training programme in order to be useful to themselves and their families.

The wife of the Vice-President also urged the beneficiaries to pay off their loans on time to allow other traders to benefit from the programme.

“We are encouraging them that if they are able to practise the business skills that have been provided for them today, they can grow their trade and also repay the loans,” she said.

Election

Touching on the December elections, she urged the public to choose their leaders wisely, focusing on leaders who had demonstrated what they would do for the country when given the power.

“Thankfully, the choice we have is clear in terms of the people who have already been given the mandate before and we know what is happening. I think that clearly the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is the better option for the Ghanaian people given the interventions and development that we’ve done”, she said.

Financial management

The Director of Business Support at the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Plan (NEIP), Mr Franklin Owusu-Karikari, who took them through the training, urged them to be consistent in saving so as to raise enough capital for their businesses.

“Most of these traders have been running their businesses over the years but they are not seeing much progress, so the programme was tailored to ensure that we help them build resilience post COVID-19,’ he said.

Present at the ceremony were the Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Mr Mohammed Adjei Sowah; the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre, Ms Abibala Shanni Mahama; the NPP parliamentary candidate for Odododiodoo, Nii Lante Bannerman, and the Managing Director of SIC Life Savings and Loans, Ms Amma Frimpomaa Dwumah.