FDA PARTNERS WITH PAYDP FOR THE 2ND EDITION OF THE KAYAYEI BUSINESS AND LEADERSHIP FAIR

As part of the Government's initiative to support, promote and grow local businesses, the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) in partnership with Purim African Youth Development Platform (PAYDP) and the United Nation Population Fund (UNFPA) Canada, organised a fair under the theme, "Kayayei Business & Leadership Fair" from the 24th to 27th of November 2020 for vulnerable young girls and women at Efua Sutherland park, Accra.

The purpose behind the partnership was to offer support to head porters (Kayayei) who intend to go into the production of FDA regulated products, to improve their businesses and ensure that the products they place on the market are safe and of good quality.

PAYDP is a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) registered to advance the rights of young girls and women; through capacity building and expanded social and economic opportunities, with emphasis on vulnerable populations.The Fair brought together representatives from the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, FDA, Ghana Enterprise Agency (GEA) formally National Board for Small and Medium Scale Industry, Ghana Health Service, Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit amongst others.Mrs. Olivia Boateng, Head of Tobacco and Substances of Abuse Department, who spoke on behalf of the Chief Executive Officer of the Authority stated that, the mission of the FDA is to protect the health and safety of Ghanaians, while supporting the growth of the local industry.

She added that the FDA takes keen interest in the Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSME's). This interest is borne out of recognition of the difficulties faced by the MSMEs in meeting some regulatory requirements. These challenges result from the financial strain of start-up projects and the perceived notion of registration frustrations due to the lack of understanding of the technical nature of the FDA's work. To ease some of these challenges, the FDA has instituted a number of activities including the Progressive Licensing Scheme (PLS).She added that the FDA would continue to foster dynamic collaboration with PAYDP and UNFPA to ensure maximum benefit to women and young entrepreneurs in line with Government's Industrialisation agenda to ensure that they evolve to become competitive on the national, regional and international platforms.At the epilogue of the fair, the head porters expressed excitement and gratitude to the FDA, PAYDP, UNFPA and other stakeholders for creating a platform which presents an empowering opportunity for them to improve on their livelihood.