UNIDO Pledges Support for Ghana’s Industrial and SME Policies Using Kaizen Model

The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) has reaffirmed its commitment to partner with Ghana to develop comprehensive industrial and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, SME, policies anchored on the Kaizen principles of efficiency, continuous improvement, and productivity.

The pledge was made on Thursday, July 23, 2026, when the Deputy Director-General of UNIDO, Dr Yuko Yasunaga, paid a courtesy call on Ghana’s Minister of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Hon. Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, in Accra.

Dr Yasunaga said UNIDO is ready to expand the application of the Kaizen concept across various sectors of Ghana’s economy, including SMEs, agro-processing, automobile development, and institutional capacity building, as part of efforts to promote holistic and cross-cutting industrial policies.

In response, Hon. Ofosu-Adjare welcomed UNIDO’s support through the Kaizen approach, noting that several individuals and institutions in Ghana have already benefited from Kaizen training programmes.

The Minister called for increased collaboration and support from UNIDO to complement government initiatives, particularly in the agribusiness sector under the “Feed the Industry” programme.

“Government’s next budget focus is on agribusiness. As a ministry responsible for agribusiness, beyond industrialisation, raw materials would be made available to feed the industry. I therefore call on UNIDO to support the Feed the Industry programme,” she stated.

Hon. Ofosu-Adjare also expressed the government’s appreciation to the Japanese Government, and specifically to Japan’s Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Hiroshi Yoshimoto, for the continued partnership and support.

She further welcomed the appointment of the new UNIDO Country Representative to Ghana and Liberia, H.E. Dr Emmanuel Kalenzi, and called for adequate resources and support to enable him to effectively deliver on his mandate and ensure a successful tenure.

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