FDA SIGNS MOU WITH CAMFED-GHANA TO SUPPORT MSMEs

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) on Wednesday, the 26th of January 2022 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with an NGO, Campaign for Female in Education- Ghana (CAMFED-Ghana) at the FDA's Head office at Shiashie-Accra. The purpose of this MoU is to help women-led businesses and young entrepreneurs duly register their products and fulfill the needed regulatory requirements through the FDA's Progressive Licensing Scheme.

In a brief remark delivered by Mrs. Delese Mimi Darko, the Chief Executive Officer of the FDA said, this MoU seeks to provide training and technical support, to ensure effective processing of applications and grant market authorization to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

Mrs. Darko indicated that it is a known fact that MSMEs play a major role in most economies, particularly in developing countries, with the World Bank reporting a representation of 90% of such businesses and more than 50% of employment worldwide. She stressed that these statistics are even more significant in Ghana because the 2020 Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs revealed 36.5% of businesses in Ghana are owned by women and ranked Ghana, third, among 58 economies assessed.

She disclosed, that over the years, the FDA has continuously demonstrated its commitment to support the government's industrialization agenda by introducing several innovations including the PLS and the Kayayei to Entrepreneur initiative. Since the launch of the PLS IN 2020 for instance, the Authority has licensed 1,034 facilities with registered 1,427 products which are primarily food, cosmetics and household chemicals.

The CEO of FDA reiterated that nine (9) out of ten (10) local industries under its purview are MSMEs operated by women and young entrepreneurs in the food, cosmetics and household chemicals sector hence making this partnership with CAMFED-Ghana more relevant as the NGO aims to accelerate the livelihood of young girls and women.

In response, the National Director of CAMFED - Ghana, Mrs. Sally Yeboah explained that this collaboration between CAMFED-Ghana and FDA is a rare opportunity that has the potential to promote efficiency in the operations of MSMEs in Ghana and yield wider developmental outcomes.