ILO Launches 2nd Phase of SCORE IN Ghana
The International Labour Organization (ILO), in collaboration with Danadams Pharmaceuticals Industry Limited, a wholly-Ghanaian owned limited liability company incorporated in Ghana, has launched the second phase of the International Labour Organization’s (ILO’s) project—Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprise (SCORE) Danadams premises.
23 May 2014
ILO News, Abuja - The International Labour Organization (ILO), in collaboration with Danadams Pharmaceuticals Industry Limited, a wholly-Ghanaian owned limited liability company incorporated in Ghana, has launched the second phase of the International Labour Organization’s (ILO’s) project—Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprise (SCORE) Danadams premises.
When the ILO introduced the first phase of SCORE in Ghana between 2009 and 2013, 39 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) participated in the SCORE training programme, one of which was Danadams Pharmaceuticals Industry Limited.
The governments of Switzerland, Norway and Canada, through the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and the Norwegian Agency for Development Co-operation (NORAD) provided funds for the ILO SCORE programme in Ghana while the ILO provided technical assistance to government agencies, trainers, industry associations and trade unions in Ghana to offer SCORE training to enterprises.
SCORE is an industry-based training package that operates in manufacturing and service sectors by providing practical training and in-factory consulting modular programme that focuses on developing co-operative working relations resulting in shared benefits. It has five training modules that cover Workplace Co-operation, Quality Management, Clean Production, Human Resource Management and Occupational Safety and Health. Managed by a global team based in ILO Country Offices and headquarters in Geneva, SCORE provides assistance through regional and national training organizations and industry associations thereby promoting the development of SMEs into more sustainable entities through being cleaner, more productive and competitive, and by providing more sustainable and decent employment.
In his address at the launch of SCORE project in Accra, the Deputy Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Mr Antwi Bosiako, acknowledged that the first phase of SCORE had demonstrated the international best practice in the manufacturing and service sectors and helped SMEs to access global supply. He urged Ghanaian enterprises to join the SCORE programme, adding that government would collaborate with appropriate local and foreign development partners including SCORE to create an enabling environment for addressing areas of critical importance on productivity and working conditions for SMEs. According to him, SMEs accounted for about 90% of all businesses in Ghana’s economy and therefore deserve a greater attention from the government. He added that one of the mandates of his Ministry was to protect the rights of workers, motivate them to enhance productivity and to ensure that there were harmonious industrial relations in the country. According to the Minister, issues of employment and productivity at workplaces were of utmost priority to government and that any programme that sought to create decent jobs and enhance the fortunes of the workforce and productivity deserved government’s support.
In her statement, Madam Marie Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch, State Secretary of SECO, noted that the international market offered great opportunities for Ghanaian Small and Medium-scale Enterprises (SMEs) to export their products and create jobs at home. She stated that for Ghanaian SMEs to continuously improve their productivity and compete in international markets, they needed a motivated, dedicated and skilled workforce, adding that competitiveness and productivity did not mean less social commitment. According to her, higher productivity and better working conditions could only be guaranteed in an environment of mutual respect between management and workers as both need each other for enterprises to succeed. Madam Ineichen-Fleisch pledged Switzerland’s strong commitment to reducing poverty and socio-economic inequalities through accelerating the growth of the private sector, promoting the development of SMEs and enhancing competitiveness and inclusiveness.
In his remarks, the Director of ILO Country Office for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and The Gambia, and Liaison Office for ECOWAS, Mrs. Sina Chuma-Mkandawire, speaking through Mr. Dennis Zulu, noted that while Ghanaian SMEs continued to play important roles as the driving forces of Ghana’s growth and poverty reduction, there still existed a substantial unused potential.
Welcoming the audience to the launch, Dr. Yaw Adu Gyamfi, Chief Executive Officer of Danadams Pharmaceutical Limited, said his company’s vision was to build a strong company that would create a healthy Africa, where all Africans would have the opportunity to succeed.
Dr Gyamfi said through the company’s participation in the SCORE programme, employees from all parts and levels of the business had developed a new enthusiasm to improve the enterprise and increase productivity.He expressed regrets that 70 per cent of drugs were imported into the country, a situation, he said, did not encourage local businesses to grow and called on Pharmaceutical owners to come together and establish bigger companies in order to be competitive.
When the ILO introduced the first phase of SCORE in Ghana between 2009 and 2013, 39 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) participated in the SCORE training programme, one of which was Danadams Pharmaceuticals Industry Limited.
The governments of Switzerland, Norway and Canada, through the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and the Norwegian Agency for Development Co-operation (NORAD) provided funds for the ILO SCORE programme in Ghana while the ILO provided technical assistance to government agencies, trainers, industry associations and trade unions in Ghana to offer SCORE training to enterprises.
In his address at the launch of SCORE project in Accra, the Deputy Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Mr Antwi Bosiako, acknowledged that the first phase of SCORE had demonstrated the international best practice in the manufacturing and service sectors and helped SMEs to access global supply. He urged Ghanaian enterprises to join the SCORE programme, adding that government would collaborate with appropriate local and foreign development partners including SCORE to create an enabling environment for addressing areas of critical importance on productivity and working conditions for SMEs. According to him, SMEs accounted for about 90% of all businesses in Ghana’s economy and therefore deserve a greater attention from the government. He added that one of the mandates of his Ministry was to protect the rights of workers, motivate them to enhance productivity and to ensure that there were harmonious industrial relations in the country. According to the Minister, issues of employment and productivity at workplaces were of utmost priority to government and that any programme that sought to create decent jobs and enhance the fortunes of the workforce and productivity deserved government’s support.
In his remarks, the Director of ILO Country Office for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and The Gambia, and Liaison Office for ECOWAS, Mrs. Sina Chuma-Mkandawire, speaking through Mr. Dennis Zulu, noted that while Ghanaian SMEs continued to play important roles as the driving forces of Ghana’s growth and poverty reduction, there still existed a substantial unused potential.
Welcoming the audience to the launch, Dr. Yaw Adu Gyamfi, Chief Executive Officer of Danadams Pharmaceutical Limited, said his company’s vision was to build a strong company that would create a healthy Africa, where all Africans would have the opportunity to succeed.
Dr Gyamfi said through the company’s participation in the SCORE programme, employees from all parts and levels of the business had developed a new enthusiasm to improve the enterprise and increase productivity.He expressed regrets that 70 per cent of drugs were imported into the country, a situation, he said, did not encourage local businesses to grow and called on Pharmaceutical owners to come together and establish bigger companies in order to be competitive.