SDF grant for private sector operators enters its second phase

  

Senior Grant Officer of SDF, Nyadia Sulemana Nelson

The Danish International Development Agency, DANIDA, has set aside 15 million Ghana Cedis under the Skills Development Fund, SDF, to stimulate the growth of private sector enterprises with focus to supporting the Technical and Vocational Education and Training, TVET. 

 

 Under the fund, enterprises associations and companies are offered the opportunity to request for grant via an online application to give practical and high impact training to its workers provided the training will be useful to the already acquired knowledge they have. 

 

In an interview with Radio Ghana’s Isaac Asare in Bolgatanga, the Senior Grant Officer of SDF, Nyadia Sulemana Nelson said the fund had so far engaged qualified businesses on the opportunities at hand, the ground process and processes for implementation to enable them come out with very successful applications.  

 

 Background

 

The Skills Development Fund, SDF, is an economic driven intervention that sought to provide skills development for private sector enterprises. 

 

The bottom line is to support the Technical, and Vocational Education and Training, TVET, with the aim to improve productivity, competitiveness as well as household incomes. 

 

It is often said that the private sector is the engine of growth but in reality, the story seem different as most companies operating under the sector are financially incapacitated due to lack of financial discipline and proper managerial skills and training. 

 

With the fund in place, mechanics, tailors, automobile repairers, masons, tilers and a host of enterprises that operate under TVET, will be equipped with skill training to increase their hands-on activities and get value for money. 

 

Evidently, these businesses are engaged in all sectors of the economy but because their skills are not sharpened, the end result is poverty. The SDF, however believe that if such enterprises are offered the needed practical and skill training, they will be in a better position to come out with innovations that could compete with the standard of products on the global market. 

 

Nonetheless, the FDS fund is targeting deserving institutions, particularly Small and Micro Enterprises, SMEs with calls for proposals that will attract funding to assist in the training of workers. 

 

In an interview with Radio Ghana, at the sidelines of a sensitization programme for training institutions, the Senior Grant Officer of SDF, Nyadia Sulemana Nelson said the fund operates under four segments involving both formal and the informal sector. 

 

This covers innovation training development and coaching of management and supervisors. 

 

According to him, the fund is demand driven and directed at providing management training and technical support that are responsive to the training needs of existing growth oriented SMEs.

 

 Relatively, the fund would want companies to request for grant to train staff on new training areas to boost their knowledge. He explained that most companies possess the requisite skills in business but lack good management regime. 

 

This,  upshot in cost increases translating in loses. 

 

Mr Nelson said the fund is equally targeted at becoming the focal point of supporting skill training in a sustainable manner in Ghana. 

 

When this is achieved, they will be able to source additional funds from both the public sector, donor organizations and development partners so that it becomes a pool fund tailored to addressing the critical issues of skill training for businesses.   

 

On funding, Mr Nelson named DANIDA and the World Bank as the funding agencies for the first phase of the project which began in 2011 and ended in 2015.

 

 During the first phase, 55 million Ghana cedis was committed and disbursed to about 630 organisations nationwide.

 

 He was happy to announce that output on productivity among beneficiary organisations has more than tripled. 

 

He moreover used the opportunity to urged prospective applicants to forward their concept notes for consideration. 

 

Mr Nelson stressed that those identified after careful assessment and evaluation, will be asked to present a simple but detailed application for necessary approval.

 

GBC