The National Secretariat of Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has commended Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) for initiating policies that would promote interactions between Micro and Small Scale Entrepreneurs (MSEs) in the metropolis.
Mr Bright Kwame Blewu, General Secretary of GJA gave the commendation on Tuesday when he led a four-member team made up of Mrs Yaa Oforiwaa Asare Peasah, GJA Treasurer, Mr Kwasi Afriyie Badu, Chief Executive Officer of KAB Governance and Mrs Mariam Angela Kyei, Project Director of KAB Governance to interact with Mr David Quaye Annang, Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive.
The meeting was a follow up to an earlier interaction between GJA and TMA to discuss efforts being made by the assembly to address concerns of MSEs in the metropolis.
It is in connection with GJA's project supported by BUSAC Fund to promote activities of small scale businesses under the theme, 'Using the media to strengthen business advocacy'.
The assembly as part of its measures to address challenges facing businesses in the metropolis especially MSEs, has established a Trade and Industry Committee with representatives from Association for Ghana Industries (AGI), Ghana Trade Union Congress (GTUC) and MSEs.
Mr Blewu said the assembly's innovation of involving leadership of the various groups of MSEs in policy making especially fixing of levies was an indication that "TMA means business".
He urged the assembly to share such good policies with other assemblies because more revenue could be accrued if entrepreneurs were given the opportunity to understand their roles as stakeholders of local government.
Mr Annang elaborating on some of the measures said the assembly regularly interact with the MSEs to discuss their challenges as well as fixing of fees for the fiscal year, while such meetings were used to collate data on activities of establishments in the metropolis.
He said the MSEs were given the opportunity to categorize themselves into groups and suggest the appropriate levy to be paid by their members.
Mr Annang pointed out that even though the assembly organized sensitization programmes for entrepreneurs, most of them especially food vendors refused to attend therefore, new measures were being instituted to address the issue.
On the issue of revenue collectors demanding more than the stipulated fees from entrepreneurs, Mr Annang advised establishments to insist on being issued with receipts reflecting the amount they paid to enable the assembly deal with the perpetrators during monitoring.
Mr Afriyie-Badu, CEO of KAB Governance, consultants for GJA on the project congratulated the assembly for the measures and urged it to establish a desk to solely address issues of MSE.
He said a survey conducted by his outfit revealed that even though small and medium enterprises formed about 80 per cent of the country's economic sector, assemblies did not involve them in policy making especially fee fixing.