Mr Jeroen Verheul

The Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ghana, Mr Jeroen Verheul has tasked government to create a supportive environment for local businesses to thrive.

Speaking at the official closing ceremony of the SNV GrEEn Project in Accra, the diplomat said the reduction of inflation and interest rate must be tackled by the government to achieve this goal.

The SNV GrEEn Project is a four-year action plan implemented in the Ashanti and Western regions under the anchor of the Ministry of Local Gov­ernment, Decentralisation and Rural Development.

The project was funded by the European Union in Ghana and the Em­bassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands.

Juxtaposing the results of the GrEEn Project, Mr Jeroen Verheul cit­ed that such achievement “is a drop in the ocean” because Ghana would need 500, 000 jobs annually to help the population overcome the high rate of unemployment.

“We need 500, 000 jobs per year and SNV has produced 6, 000 jobs over four years, however we need to scale up through the support of the envi­ronment which is a key element for entrepreneurs to flourish,” he stated.

SNV Netherlands Development Organisation is a not-for-profit inter­national development organisation creating a lasting difference in the lives of people living in poverty by helping them raise incomes and access basic services.

Since its commissioning in 2019, the Project aimed to enhance employ­ability and entrepreneurship opportu­nities within Ghana’s green economy, contributing to the development of a climate-resilient local economy.

The primary objective of the Project was to address the root causes of irregular migration amongst Ghanaians, by promoting green and climate-resilient local economic de­velopment.

This initiative provided affordable financing aid to SMEs and micro busi­nesses, especially in the sustainable and circular economy sector.

The Chief Executive Officer of Asaasepa Naturals, Mrs Matilda Stemn, noted that the project has aided her set up a factory and purchase some equipment to upscale her business.

However, Mrs Stemn, also a bene­ficiary of the Project, mentioned that accessing loans was a challenge for SMEs on increasing productivity de­spite the fact that they have the raw materials and machineries at their disposal.

Present at the ceremony were the Country Director of SNV Ghana, Mrs Barbara Nkoala amongst other digni­taries.

SNV specialises in three sectors: agri-food, energy and water systems and is present in over 25 countries.

 By Yunusah Essandoh