Canon, Invest in Africa provide training for printing industries
Canon Central and North Africa, a leader in imaging solutions has signed a partnership agreement with Invest in Africa to launch the “Professional Print Excellence” programme to train Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) printing companies.
The training programme aims to improve the commercial and technical skills of 20 local professional printing SMEs by providing them with focused training to help run large volumes of business and deliver world-class printing products and services.
As part of the partnership, Invest in Africa, an online portal will provide training on business development and business management best practices and a mentorship programme in 2017.
Participating SMEs will be invited to join Invest in Africa’s Africa Partner Pool (APP), Ghana’s first cross-sector online business platform that connect larger international and Ghanaian companies to local business across sectors.
The APP aims to increase the visibility and credibility of Ghanaian SMEs and support international and domestic companies who wants to maximize their local supply chains quicker.
Mr Ayman Aly, Marketing Manager, Canon Middle East, said the programme is part of Canon’s Miraisha Sustainability initiative to build the capacity and skills of people in the African countries where it operates.
He said their outfit is committed to empower the SMEs through the improvement of vocational skills and job creation opportunities.
He said the training was established in response to a study conducted by Canon to understand the professional printing industry in Ghana and found that some corporate organizations are using print providers in foreign countries for the print requirements.
Mr Aly said the study identified that 96 percent of companies believe that business in the country will grow in the next three to five years while 64 percent of companies said they could be persuaded to have more materials printed within Ghana if printing quality improved.
Mr Sam Brandful, Ghana Manager for Invest in Africa, said the company is a private sector initiative that brings together leading companies across sectors to work together to develop local enterprise and support investment in the country.
He said the training programme sets the stage for building the capacity of the selected SMEs in the printing sector to help position them to increase competitiveness, drive revenue and provide them of better chance of accessing finance using the APP.
Mrs Suwebatu Adams, Director of Domestic Trade at the Ministry of Trade and Industry commended the partners for the programme, adding that the initiative will help address issues of SMEs in the country.
She said the Ministry will continue to play its role of bringing up entrepreneurs and develop their capacities to compete both locally and internationally.
Mr James Appiah Berko, President of Ghana Printers and Paper Converters Association welcomed the initiative adding that the programme will add value to their career development.
Source: GNA