A day's workshop targeting more than 100 women entrepreneurs and business owners within the informal trade sector, who are into weaving, tilling, fashion and design, and agribusiness processing, has been held in Tamale.
The training was to equip participants on how to identify business opportunities, business entry strategies, sales and marketing, branding and innovation, and record keeping, among others.
It formed part of the implementation of the Advocacy Actions for Women Economic Security and Justice in Agricultural Activities in Northern Ghana project being implemented by the Savannah Women Integrated Development Agency (SWIDA-Ghana), an NGO, with funding support from the African Women's Development Fund.
Hajia Alima Sagito-Saeed, Executive Director, SWIDA-Ghana, speaking at the training, said it was to empower young women with the skills to effectively operate and manage their businesses to enhance profitability.
She said it was also to introduce participants to some of the social protection policies such as the Re-entry Policy, National Health Insurance Scheme, National Entrepreneurship, and Innovation Plan among others to encourage them to take advantage of such policies to secure their social and economic rights.
She encouraged them to prioritise registering their businesses and to desist from engaging in fraudulent transactions to enable them to take advantage of some of the available funding opportunities in the country.
Madam Humaimatu Abdul-Wahab, Head of Informal Apprenticeship Unit, Northern Regional Directorate of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Service, educated participants on some of the measures to unlocking market opportunities and business growth strategies.
She urged them to prioritise creativity and embrace digitalisation and innovation as viable platforms to market their products and services.
Mrs Fayudatu Yakubu, Chief Executive Officer of Balmaisha Foundation, advised participants to desist from unhealthy market competitions and work assiduously to meet their customers' needs and expectations.
Participants, who spoke to the Ghana News Agency after the training, commended SWIDA-Ghana, and partners for the training.