DTI, GSA collaborate to improve SMEs delivery
The Design and Technology Institute (DTI), an accredited private Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) institution, and the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate in developing standards and practice guidelines to improve the products and service delivery of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Officials of the two institutions said the three-year project sought to create about 40,000 direct and indirect work opportunities for the youth, especially young women, through TVET.
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The MoU signed between the two institutions in Accra targeted mostly at master craft persons as well as women and youth operating in the technical and vocational sectors of the economy.
It formed part of the DTI’s collaborative strategy to work with key stakeholders to reach the objective under the
‘Transforming youth TVET livelihood for sustainable jobs’ project which is being undertaken in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation’s ‘Young Africa Work strategy’ to enable three million young people, particularly women, to access dignified and fulfilling work opportunities by 2030.
Furthermore, there will be the development of standards and guidelines on precision quality for the beneficiaries who will also have their products embedded in precision quality.
Working together
Speaking at the ceremony, the Director-General of the GSA, Professor Alex Dodoo, said as the government agency mandated to promote standardisation in the country, the authority was uniquely positioned to work together with the DTI and other entrepreneurship training institutions to streamline their efforts and ensure that international standards and best practices were adhered to in a sustainable manner.
“Our ultimate aim is to facilitate the creation of dignified, well-paying and fulfilling job opportunities in the country. If the products from these companies are standardised and of high quality, they will be capable of competing effectively in the export market,” he said.
Mindset
Prof. Dodoo, who is also the President-elect of the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO), called on Ghanaians to have a precision-quality mindset that settled for nothing but the highest quality of goods and services.
That, he explained, would help make the country visible for quality and improve its global competitiveness.
Acceptable standards
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Founder of the DTI, Ms Constance Elizabeth Swaniker, stated that the collaboration with the GSA would help develop acceptable standards in the development and testing of prototype products for Ghana’s industries while maintaining international standards.
“At the DTI, we are championing the adoption of precision quality in TVET institutions and among master craft persons across the country as well as industries.
The signing of the MoU affirms the regulator’s trust in what we are doing and how it will bridge the product development gap for consumers,” she said and added that “we will continue to work with the authority in the area of policy development and advocacy which will lead to a mindset shift among Ghanaians when quality is concerned.”