The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for the Ledzokuku constituency, Mr Okoe Boye, has expressed his readiness to support marginalised groups and petty traders in his constituency.
Mr Boye gave the assurance when he addressed the launch of the Dr Okoe Boye Skills Support Programme at the SDA Church at Teshie Central last Friday.
Towards that end, he donated a Benz Sprinter bus to the physically challenged in the constituency.
The small-scale traders in the community also received assorted items at reduced cost or for free to improve and grow their livelihoods.
The skills support programme, which attracted a lot of physically challenged and small-scale business owners in the community, was successfully launched to provide equipment and tools to people who had their own trade.
Donation and support
The programme, which is intended to support small and medium businesses, is set to support 100 people in the constituency every year, according to the MP.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, Dr Boye revealed that his outfit had liaised with a microfinance company to support other members of the community by providing items to support their small-scale businesses at a reduced cost.
“The Dr Okoe Boye Skills Support Programme has partnered a microfinance company to purchase these items and give it to them.
Today we gave out two taxis to two taxi unions and they are not going to pay the price on a commercial market.
They are paying about half the price.
“I am taking care of the interest that’s on the items.
So the taxi drivers would have paid over GH¢40,000 in two years but they are paying half the price, so they are going to pay GH¢20,000 in two years.
The rest has been absorbed by my outfit,” he said.
The aim “is to make them acquire the vehicle, work and pay for the cars which I am financing through my institution”.
He said his programme had also given tricycles to people who were into water and sanitation business and they were also paying the cost price over a period of one year, which is GH¢6,000.
“We have given a lot of items. The barbers have also been given clippers which they are not going to pay back.
The idea is not to give physical cash but to give you what you need in your business so that you can make some money and grow in your business,” he said.
The More Hope For The Disabled Foundation received a sprinter bus which cost over GH¢60,000 from Dr Boye’s outfit to help them move from one place to another and go about their businesses smoothly on a daily basis
Mr Joe Mends, the President of the foundation, in an interview with the Daily Graphic on behalf of the foundation, expressed its warmest gratitude towards the extraordinary gesture by the MP and his outfit.
Managing small businesses
Mr Clifford M. Korley, a Chartered Accountant who also doubles as the Managing Director of 3AMS–CELMS Company Ltd, reiterated the need for the members of the community to learn how to manage their small businesses which were being supported by Dr Okoe Boye.
Source: Graphic.com.gh
