Former Vice-President and New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential candidate Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has called for targeted support for Ghanaian artisans, including access to affordable credit, solar power, professional training and certification, to help address the challenges facing their businesses.
He made the call during a meeting with the leadership of the Ghana Artisans Association in Accra on Thursday, October 15, as part of his ongoing stakeholder engagements and consultations with professional groups and industry players.
The meeting brought together representatives from various trades, including hairdressers and beauticians, tailors and dressmakers, barbers, as well as operators in the construction and building materials industry.
The discussions provided an opportunity for the artisans to outline the difficulties affecting their businesses and explore possible measures to improve their operations, competitiveness and capacity for growth.
Dr Bawumia stressed the importance of supporting the sector, noting its potential to create jobs, particularly for young people, and contribute to local economic development.
He argued that empowering artisans should go beyond supporting individual livelihoods, given the sector’s capacity to absorb a significant number of young people and provide opportunities for self-employment and business expansion.
Among the key interventions he highlighted was the adoption of solar power to help artisans reduce their energy costs, which can place pressure on the finances of small businesses.
He also emphasised the need to improve access to credit, enabling artisans to expand their businesses, acquire modern equipment and invest in tools that could improve productivity and the quality of their work.
Dr Bawumia further advocated training and certification to strengthen professionalism and competitiveness across the various trades.
He highlighted the importance of equipping artisans with relevant skills and professional certification, adopting solar power to lower energy costs, improving access to credit for business expansion and the purchase of modern tools, and simplifying the tax system to ease the burden on small-scale operators.
Such measures, he indicated, would help artisans improve their skills and position their businesses to meet changing industry demands.
Dr Bawumia also highlighted the need for a simplified tax system that would ease the burden on small-scale operators and make it easier for them to run their businesses.
The proposals formed part of broader discussions on how to address the operational challenges facing artisans and create an environment in which their businesses can grow.