372 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) from the Agbogbloshie timber market and Makola markets have benefited from a two-day precision quality edutainment training programme organised by the Design & Technology Institute (DTI).

The drama-cum-educational piece titled “Joe Sharp” mirrors the lives, work, successes and failures of master crafts persons, their relationship with customers and how they can enhance it through the application of precision principles.

Precision quality edutainment training is a unique way of training informal sector operators who have immense skills and potential but require refinement to churn out quality products and services.

Through the drama series, DTI expects to improve the work skills and practices of 5,000 master crafts persons and 1,000 SMEs. The training forms part of DTI’s strategy to work with key stakeholders to enable three million young people, particularly women, to access dignified and fulfilling work opportunities by 2030 using a multiplier approach.

The current drama series-based training is under the ‘Transforming youth TVET livelihood for sustainable jobs’ project in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation’s ‘Young Africa Work (YAW) Strategy’, which seeks to create 40,000 direct and indirect work opportunities for the youth, especially young women, through TVET in Ghana.

Founder and CEO of DTI, Constance Swaniker, urged the SMEs to adopt the principles of precision quality to develop standardised products and services to remain competitive in the market, especially with the coming into effect of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

“Africa has become one big market, making it easier for African countries to trade among themselves. Ghanaian businesses can only thrive and grow when goods and services produced meet internationally accepted quality standards. Precision quality is the guarantee to achieve that,” she said.

She tasked the President of the Greater Accra Markets Association to ensure that beneficiaries of the training adopt precision quality in their work to produce goods and services that meet international standards and to secure high-paying jobs.

Since 2020, DTI has been leading the movement for the adoption of precision quality by businesses to address the quality gap among artisans and SMEs and standardise the process of producing goods and services in Ghana to benefit the economy.  

President of the Greater Accra Market Association, Mercy Naa Afrowa Needjan, commended DTI for the training programme and for choosing the Timber and Makola Markets, which are amongst the busy markets in the country.

She said the market is a place for selling quality products, and customers who patronise them need to be respected by offering them high-quality products and services that meet their needs.

She urged all participants to be open-minded and accept and adopt precision quality techniques in their work to enhance their service delivery and improve their livelihoods.

Topics covered in the drama included mindset change, creating a mission and vision, registering your business, and creating accounts.

Participants expressed their excitement on how the initiative has made it easier for them to understand and appreciate precision quality and how it affects their income levels and business growth.

They commended DTI for providing a forum to learn soft skills and how they can use the knowledge to grow their business.