On October 9, 2024, a two-member team from the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), Ms. Maame Yaa Owusu-Amoah, Digital Ecosystem Specialist and Mr. Sangyoung Jung, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Specialist for the Inclusive Digital Economies Portfolio in Ghana, made a courtesy call to Dr. Ing. Kenneth Ashigbey, CEO of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications and the EMIs Chamber of Ghana. The meeting focused on two primary issues: bridging the skills gap between university and business, and giving financial assistance to MSMEs.
The first agenda item focused on assisting students in developing the skills required for the labor market. The UNCDF team stressed the need of aligning school courses with industrial requirements. This will guarantee that students are better equipped for work by closing the present skill gap between academic degrees and real-world industrial requirements. Dr. Ashigbey and the UNCDF discussed possibilities to work on creating programs that provide students with the skills needed for the telecommunications and broader tech industries.
The second topic of the discussion was to help MSMEs. The delegation acknowledged the difficulties that many small firms and start-ups experience in obtaining loans due to high interest rates, especially those from mobile money systems. The UNCDF team recommended collaborating with the chamber to provide personalized financial products and services for MSMEs. These approaches would assist firms in obtaining loans and fostering development, increasing their financial resilience.
The discussion concluded with a pledge from the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications to engage its members to support these efforts, paving the way for future collaboration with UNCDF.
Source: Chamber News Desk
