GHANA E-CENTER ADVANCES ESTABLISHED BUSINESSES

Where the Self-Reliance Centers help with beginning businesses, the Idaho E Center  focuses on helping established businesses to grow by providing research, funding and mentoring. 

Elder Koranteng has given us a list of some 35 businesses that could possibly use such assistance. The goal in helping the companies to grow is to provide more employment.

Returned missionaries, pathway students and others have a very difficult time finding employment that utilizes their skills and gives them the opportunity to advance, marry, provide for their families and serve in the Church.  The PEF helps by offering loans for further education. It is our purpose to help make jobs available to more people and support business growth & success.

The second day we were here Emmanuel Opare arranged a meeting with his bishop at the school.  It was our first consultation! He is interested in starting a business in canning tomatoes.  There most definitely is a need for such a company but he has no background.  Tomatoes ripen quickly and there is much waste while, at the same time cans of tomatoes are being imported. Bob encouraged him to start small and work into it.  Start ups are not what we are looking for.  Great training is available at the Self-Reliance Centers for that stage.

We reviewed the list supplied by Elder Koranteng and Hans picked out some of the more promising looking businesses with stable leadership and some experience.  He set up appointments and we started the process today of meeting the owners, learning about their business and evaluating whether there is a next step.  In both cases today he felt good about learning more.  In the next week or so we will visit their work and get detailed information.

On July 14th people from Mentor's International will be in Ghana to meet with Stephen Abu. 

They want to also meet with us.  They are looking for businesses on a little higher scale than micro-loans. We may be able to work together.  The major challenge of these small businesses is capital and dependable personnel.  Both owners are reputable and seasoned business men and