They were trained on the on National Kaizen Business Development Service (BDS) project and participants at the event included hairdressers, dressmakers and garage owners amongst others.

Mr Albert Boachie-Amofa, Acting Director of Investment and Credit Department of the NBSSI Head Quarters, said National KAIZEN project started as a pilot in Ashanti Region in 2012 to strengthen the capacity of NBBSSI on its BDS provision and facilitation.

He said the growth of small and medium scale sector in the economy is critical as it contributes immensely in the growth of the economy but there are existing challenges with regards to the management of their businesses and this is hampering the growth of the sector.

It was against this backdrop that the NBSSI/JICA National Kaizen Project was launched to help in providing effective and efficient Business Development Service to improve production, efficiency, quality of products and competitiveness both locally and internationally, he said.

With some successes chalked in the pilot phase, the project is being replicated across the county, hence the need for such an event to create awareness and showcase the achievements and contribution of the project.

Mr Boachie-Amofa urged the participants to take advantage of the project to improve and to grow saying they should make good use of the AOB District Office of the Rural Enterprise Center (the BAC) for technical assistance on the implementation of the project.

Mr Patrick Asafo Agyei, Head of NSSI/BAC Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa, said the objectives of kaizen are to reduce costs by eliminating waste, provision the best quality at lower cost to shorten lead time.

Kaizen was systematized by Toyota and it methodology is easy to apply to other enterprises saying the benefits of Kaizen project is to increase productivity, improve quality, better safety, improve customer satisfaction, communication and cooperation, morale and employee satisfaction and to help in increase income, he said.

Mr Henry Owoo, AOB District Coordinating Director who deputized for the District Chief Executive, urged the participants to make good use of the knowledge they have acquired to improve their business.