SMEs Minister urges business persons to join Approved Management Centres.

He was speaking in Bamenda on July 4, during the 8th edition of the awareness raising caravan on Approved Management Centres. The two-day event took place in the presence of Members of Parliament, Regional Delegates, Mayors, representatives of some business enterprises and others.

The occasion was under the theme: "The membership of small and medium sized enterprises from the economically depressed areas in approved management centres: A letter for competitiveness and growth".

Speaking during the occasion, Minister Bassilekin III called on business operators in the North West Region to join Approved Management Centres to scale their enterprises and also to meet up with others in the competitive market.

"We are hopeful that by disseminating this information, they are going to register their businesses in the Approved Management Centres. This will help them benefit from the various facilities. We will also ensure that we make the right and accurate information for the businessmen and women of this Region, to be part of the economic recovery and reconstruction of the Region," Minister Bassilekin III said.

The minister also called on businesspersons operating in the Region to start thinking strategically on how to generate innovative output that can help improve the performance of the centres in the context of the crisis.

"The main aim of organising this sensitisation caravan is to sensitise business persons on the advantages and facilities they enjoy after becoming members. I am confident that at the end of this sensitisation campaign, we will have not only an acceleration of economic activities, but businessmen and women from the North West Region who will also be part of the overall agenda of developing import substitution policies," the minister added.

On his part, the Bamenda City Mayor, Achobong Paul Tambeng, told the minister and his entourage that the Region has crafts that can employ a good number of the population.

Mayor Achobong regretted the fact that the crisis has crippled so many businesses and forced promoters and facilitators to escape from the Region.

"The best time to support small businesses is today. We are glad to remind you that our city has crafts which can comfortably employ our population," Mayor Paul Achobong said.

Led by the North West Regional Delegate of MINPMEESA, Ngangjo Cliff Ntutieh, the minister visited the Bamenda Regional Handicraft Village in Bamenda III Subdivision, where he saw numerous craft works manufactured by the people of the Region.

The minister also inaugurated the newly constructed building for the Small and Medium Sized Enterprises Promotion Agency, APME, in Bamenda II Subdivision. The agency will, in the days ahead, help to facilitate the creation and registration of business enterprises in the Region.