20 Micro and Small Medium Scaled Enterprises (MSMEs) participated in a Masterclass handcraft soapmaking course from 2nd – 5th August 2022 in Accra. The training form part of activities conducted under UNIDO – United Nations Industrial Development Organization European Union in Ghana funded West Africa Competitiveness Programme – Ghana to strengthen the competitiveness of MSMEs to export to the international market.
The Project Chief Technical Advisor, Charles Kwame Sackey said the training of master soapers serves as a Training of Trainers (ToT) model intended to engage master trainers in coaching new trainers that are less experienced in the handcrafted soap. He further indicated that the training aimed at building a pool of competent master soapers for cosmetics entrepreneurs within business clusters in Ghana.
“The UNIDO, EU- funded West African Competitiveness Programme (WACOMP), as part of its aim is to ensure that these SMEs are competitive on the local, regional and international market. To fulfil the Conformity requirement of training to improve Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) for primary cosmetic producers”, he added.
As part of the programme, participants were given the opportunity to pitch to Access Bank as part of enhancing their access to credit.
Dr. Dolores Opon, a participant commenting on the training experience said: “UNIDO WACOMP- Ghana helped me to apply the science and arts to soap making. I joined one of the cosmetics training in March 2022 and have been practising since and researching how to produce for the aged and those with sensitive skin. I’m really glad I was chosen to be part of the masterclass after being mentored by the programme cluster. We are grateful to the European Union for the funding support”
