A merchant of Raw Cashew Nuts (RCN) operating in the Tain District of the Bono region, Solomon Ameyaw, has observed that for the private sector to be the engine of growth, intermediary organisations, such as trade and business associations (TBAs), should act as the voice of the industry.

He stressed that private businesses must organise themselves into powerful associations that will effectively use advocacy to articulate their concerns.

He noted this draws the attention of policymakers at the national, regional and district levels.

"They can advise the government on adopting prudent economic policies to create the appropriate environment for private sector growth and development.

The TBAs should strengthen the capacity of the private sector, determine policy and the allocation of resources," Mr Ameyaw suggested.

He was commenting on promoting business associations in Ghana in an interview with JoyNews at his RCN warehouse in Seikwa in the Tain District of the Bon region.

He said his company will soon organise workshops for the TBAs to improve the members' capacity for trade and business transactions.

The workshops, he noted, will strengthen the associations to enable them to have a strong and coherent voice to effectively play their role in the development process and further contribute to the achievement of the government's economic policies.

According to Mr Ameyaw, TBAs in Ghana are weak, poorly funded and lack research and lobbying capacity.

He said the policy environment has remained relatively weak for the private sector despite the government's declared commitment to private sector development.

He suggested that the leadership of business associations should strive for a strong voice in the determination of policy and the allocation of resources, adding that “strengthening business associations is a shared responsibility”.

The RCN merchant indicated that Ghanaian business associations possess the potential to become a force to be reckoned with in the national arena.

However, he added, "What is required is effective leadership that will rise to the challenge and offer the requisite leadership".

He noted that in the current competitive business world, it is almost impossible for any small-scale entrepreneur to survive as an individual.

"The resources of an individual alone might not be adequate to enable him or her to compete effectively with the larger business concerns which use modern and complex scientific methods in production," he explained.