Accra, Ghana, April 16, 2009─
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, today launched the Enterprise Development Services Program, hosted by the University of Ghana Business School. This program will help the university develop training, business planning and related services to help small and medium enterprises grow and enhance their competitiveness.
IFC and the University of Ghana Business School organized an opening ceremony to launch the Enterprise Development Services unit today in Accra and discussed the business training needs of smaller businesses in Africa and how the EDS program will help managers increase competitiveness and operate within global standards.
Encouraging the growth of smaller businesses with a combination of investments and advisory services, including training and guidance, is a major pillar of IFC’s work in Africa.
“Local stakeholders and governments call upon local African institutions, such as business schools and development centers, to offer relevant SME management training programs” said Brigid Amoako, IFC Operations Analyst. “IFC assists local institutions adapt their curricula and develop pertinent content responding to the challenges that entrepreneurs operating in the African business environment face.”
After a successful three-year pilot at the Lagos Business School, the program was replicated in other business schools in Africa. IFC is simultaneously implementing the program in Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania, in addition to the University of Ghana Business School.
The objectives of the program include capacity building activities for African business school and enterprise centers on teaching methods in SME management & entrepreneurship, sharing of Lagos Business School's entrepreneurship center model for training and disseminating case studies on local entrepreneurs among participating institutions.
About IFC
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, creates opportunity for people to escape poverty and improve their lives. We foster sustainable economic growth in developing countries by supporting private sector development, mobilizing private capital, and providing advisory and risk mitigation services to businesses and governments. Our new investments totaled $16.2 billion in fiscal year 2008, a 34 percent increase over the previous year. For more information, visit
www.ifc.org
.
