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The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) on Wednesday inaugurated the Journalists for Business Advocacy (JBA), with a call on the media to intensify their advocacy for small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) in the country. "It is our hope that JBA will provide a potent platform for journalists to remain committed to promoting the SMEs sector as the media's contribution to raising standards in industrial growth, employment generation, revenue mobilisation and poverty alleviation," Mr. Ransford Tetteh, GJA President said. The JBA was established out of GJA's special two-year project dubbed "Using the Media to Strengthen Business Advocacy". The project, co-facilitated by KAB Consult, and sponsored by the Business Advocacy Challenge (BUSAC) Fund, begun in 2006, under the theme "Using the Media to Promote Small-Scale Business Concerns." Mr. Tetteh noted that under the project, a core team of journalists undertook capacity development in business advocacy to create a multimedia platform to discuss the concerns of business, particularly SMEs. He said since the project, started it had instituted a leading business programme on the national television, "Business Advocate" and "Edwumapaye" on Adom FM, a private broadcasting station at Tema. Mr. Tetteh expressed the hope that with the official inauguration of JBA, the media would improve on its business advocacy. Mr. John Gyetuah, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, welcomed JBA and expressed the hope that their work would intensify dialogue between policymakers and the business community. He noted that business journalism should go beyond reporting the facts to influencing policy in a manner that would benefit SMEs in the country. "In Ghana the SMEs account for 90 per cent of enterprises of the economy, contributing about 60 per cent of employment and about six per cent to GDP. "The SME sector therefore, has a significant contribution to Ghana's socio-economic development and growth," he said. Mr. Gyetuah noted that in spite of the role played by the SME sector in national development, its full potential had not yet been harnessed due to some challenges. These include lack of access to credit facilities, obsolete technology and lack of skilled personnel and poor management in the sector. He expressed the hope that journalists would take advantage of the BUSAC support, to build their expertise in the business field, to be able to inform and educate the SMEs to enhance their competitiveness. "My ministry is ready and willing to factor into its programmes and projects recommendations made by journalists for business advocacy group to support the growth and development of SME sector," he said. Mr. Wisdom Peter Awuku, President of JBA noted that while the country was grappling with efforts to grow SMEs, there were concerns to ensure SMEs participated in the new oil industry. "Unfortunately, it is observed that SME's have not been part of the strategy by government to explore the oil business," he said. Mr Awuku urged journalists to research into SMEs role in the industry and undertake effective advocacy. He said a research undertaken by JBA indicated that Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) were either not aware or not concerned about the plight of SMEs, but were only interested in collecting levies from them. "The advocacy by JBA has resulted in positive change in policy and programmes in some districts," he said. Mr. Cletus Kosiba, Executive Secretary of Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), said journalists contributed to the political agenda of the country but not the economic agenda. He noted that business advocacy, particularly for SMEs should focus on efforts to strengthen them to create jobs at the local level, instead of creating credit facilities for individuals, who would only spent them on consumables. "Procurement is a major means by which MMDAs could help SMEs to grow - this is something the MMDAs do not seem to be aware of, but business advocacy by the media could bring this to the fore," he said. Mr. Dale Rachmeler, BUSAC Fund Manager said the business advocacy grant to the GJA was the best out of 360 BUSAC grants provided so far. He commended the GJA for its commitment to work and expect positive results from its activities. A six-member JBA executive was sworn into office.