The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ghana, in partnership with Global Media Alliance, has opened a two-day capacity-building training program for 30 MSME owners selected across the country to benefit from funding and training on how they can utilize digital technology to market their businesses.

Addressing participants, the Resident Representative of UNDP, Dr. Angela Lusigi, said there are vast untapped resources available for Ghanaian MSMEs to fund their growth and expansion within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Speaking during the opening ceremony of the 2-day capacity-building training program, Dr. Lusigi stated that the UNDP has since 2020 provided 500,000 dollars in seed funding to 42 Ghanaian MSME project initiators to enable them to fund their businesses during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic.

She said an assessment of small businesses in Ghana revealed a gap in the use of digital technology for marketing, even though internet usage has been steadily growing over the past years.

Dr. Lusigi added that the UNDP will help to connect the local businesses to different sources of funding to enable them to grow and be able to produce for the continental market under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Following the adverse effect of the COVID-19 lockdown on commerce, the UNDP commissioned Global Media Alliance to undertake an assessment on the strategic communication needs of MSMEs and relevant state institutions, after which strategies were developed to ensure actions for women and youth-led MSMEs to drive green and inclusive recovery from COVID-19.