The Cape Coast Municipal Chief Executive, Ms Mercy Arhin, has called on Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) and NGOs to network when executing their programmes and projects to avoid duplication. She said this on Wednesday in a speech read for her at a "stakeholders forum" for some private, public, financial institutions and NGOs in the Micro and Small Enterprises sector in the Cape Coast municipality at Cape Coast. The forum, which was organized by the Cape Coast Business Advisory Centre (BAC) of the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI), was to discuss the programmes of MSEs and NGOs and how they could synchronize and implement their programmes. It was also to form a pool of resource persons whose services could easily be tapped for the benefit of the MSE in the municipality as well as identify effective channels for collaboration and networking. Ms Arhin said some of the MSEs were not performing effectively because they did not set up appropriate programmes and this made it difficult for them to access loans and other financial assistance. She urged them to come out with programmes and projects that would help in the development of the municipality since the government the alone cannot develop the area. Mr Kwaku Adarkwah-Pepra, the Regional Manager of NBSSI, said the forum should not be a one-day wonder and suggested that such forums should be held quarterly. The participants called for regular training workshops and effective monitoring and evaluations of programmes and projects. They also called for the institution of district trade fairs to enable them showcase their products. Source: GNA