Germany-trained Ghanaians hold workshop (15/6/09)

A two-day capacity-building workshop to strengthen the entrepreneurial capabilities of Ghanaians trained in Germany has been held in Accra.
The workshop, which was organised by the Goethe-Institut in collaboration with Ruckkehrerburo Ghana, an association of Ghanaians trained in Germany, was on the theme, “Strengthening the entrepreneurial capabilities of the German-trained Ghanaian professional”.
The Head of Information and Library Department of the Goethe-Institut, Mr Kingsley Nii-Addy, said the workshop was aimed at enhancing the entrepreneurial capabilities of the returned professionals to start their own businesses and create job opportunities for the development of the country.
He said Ghanaians trained in Germany were highly skilled professionals who worked in different areas of the Ghanaian economy.
He said the workshop would give participants an insight into how to develop their entrepreneurial skills in order to contribute to the development of Ghana’s economy.
Participants were taken through planning businesses, ways of managing businesses, characteristics of an entrepreneur, financial management and others by various resource persons.
Professionals in various fields also shared their experiences as entrepreneurs with the participants.
A lecturer of the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS), Dr Daniel Quaye, who took the participants through the introduction of entrepreneurship, said most entrepreneurs in the country were just business managers and did not possess the qualities of entrepreneurs.
These qualities, he said, included innovativeness, being passionate about long-term goals, confidence, being work-oriented and having a strong competitive spirit.
He stressed the need for entrepreneurs to be innovative enough to produce goods that could be consumed in the country and exported as well to help the economy grow.
A lecturer of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Mr Emmanuel Dogbenoo, advised entrepreneurs to gradually review their strategic plans due to the dynamic nature of the world.
He said it was important for them to identify their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to help them develop good business strategies.