By:
Nana Appiah Acquaye
The
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Ghana, in collaboration with the
Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) and the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of
Excellence in ICT (GI-KACE), has engaged micro, small and medium-sized
enterprises (MSMEs) across the Southern Zone to test and provide feedback on
the upcoming MSME Digital Gateway platform.
The
engagement formed part of pre-launch activities aimed at onboarding businesses
and refining the platform to better serve the needs of entrepreneurs across
Ghana.
The
initiative brought together MSMEs through Business Advisory Centres (BACs),
offering participants the opportunity to explore the platform’s features,
access support services and share practical feedback on how the system can be
improved to enhance usability and impact.
According
to UNDP Ghana, the exercise is intended to ensure that the #MSMEDigitalGateway
is designed in line with the real needs of businesses, particularly in areas
such as access to information, training opportunities, financing options and
market linkages.
Stakeholders
noted that building effective digital platforms requires more than
technological development, emphasizing the importance of user-centered design
and continuous engagement with end users.
Feedback
gathered during the sessions will be used to refine the platform ahead of its
official rollout, with a focus on improving functionality and ensuring it
delivers practical solutions for MSMEs.
The
partnership between UNDP Ghana, GEA and GI-KACE is part of broader efforts to
strengthen Ghana’s digital ecosystem and promote inclusive economic growth by
supporting small businesses with improved access to digital tools and services.
Officials
said the MSME Digital Gateway is expected to play a key role in connecting
entrepreneurs to critical resources and enhancing the competitiveness of MSMEs
in Ghana’s evolving digital economy.
