The National Employment Fund (NEF) recently drilled entrepreneurs on sustaining growth.

The North West is a poor Region in citizen companies and efforts by the National Employment Fund (NEF), to give the few entrepreneurs there a chance in growth is evident. That was topical on November 30, 2012 during a seminar to drill employers and job seekers on strategies for growth. It was all about why enterprises fail to grow and the way forward to sustain growth. It was a rare moment for the North West Branch Manager of NEF, Mbe Shiezi Augustine, to stress that growth is a pre-condition for the survival of an enterprise.

It emerged from the deliberations that growth implies an increase in sales, production, capacity, use of raw materials and employment. The seminar according to Mbe Augustine was conceived to prescribe the way forward to sustain growth. The Permanent Secretary in the Governor’s Office, Monono Molua was around with the blessings of the administration for the North West Branch of NEF which in 2012 sound off with 1,973 candidatures received and counselled on support strategies for employers and job seekers. Inspired by their mission to promote employment and foster an increase in job opportunities, the North West branch is also credited for visiting 1,034 enterprises in 2012, caused direct employment for 852 job seekers, trained 534 persons including farming groups and funded some 411 persons with a global sum of FCFA 29.830.000.

The Permanent Secretary had warm words for the National Employment Fund for promoting employment and re-echoed the government’s efforts to empower the private sector to take up their position as the backbone of the nation’s economy. Curtains dropped with participants taking home enough lessons about NEF as a veritable employment instrument at their service.