Through the establishment of the Obuasi Enterprise and Skills Development Center, AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Mine, under their Enterprise Development Programme has provided business solution support to about 600 businesses in Obuasi, including women-owned businesses and artisans to enhance their productive capacity, efficiency, and ability to compete. This was revealed by Dr. Eric Asubonteng, the Managing Director of the Mine at the Commissioning of the Obuasi Enterprise and Skills Development Centre last week.
Speaking at the commissioning of the centre, the Managing Director of the Mine also added that the commissioning of the centre is a “critical piece of the Enterprise Development Programme under the Mines Social Management Plan and an anchor for the private sector development objective of the AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Community Trust Fund.”
The centre was jointly established by AngloGold Ashanti Ghana and the AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Community Trust Fund, to provide solutions to local businesses and to support skills development and capacity building.
According to Dr. Eric Asuboteng, the Mine through a collaboration with Invest In Africa, have successfully placed 100 SMEs in Obuasi on the African Partner Pool platform, to promote their products and services and the standards they can deliver to make it easier for big companies to find them.
The Ashanti Regional Minister, who also attended the commissioning, promised businesses that if they need startup capitals or support for their businesses after receiving their training at the centre, the government will always lend a helping hand.
The Centre is disability user friendly and made up of a multipurpose conference/training centre, a business centre, 8 mini-meeting areas, a fully-equipped industrial sewing centre, a fully-equipped leather workshop, a bead-making centre and hand sanitizer production centre.
“Under the AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Community Trust Fund’s Skills Development Programme, 60 master craft persons have been trained in leather works, bead craft, and fashion among others, while they also transfer the skills to their apprentices” Dr Eric Asubonteng added.