P. O. Box SE 224 smido06@yahoo.

com Tel : (233) (0)51-48847

Suame – Kumasi www.smidoghana.org Mobile: (233) (0)54-369-2177
Ghana

Position: Programme Coordinator (Volunteer)

Location: Kumasi, Ghana
Start Date: Flexible (June 2010 – August 2010)
Duration: 6 -12 Months
Compensation: Partial Funding Available

Suame Magazine

Suame Magazine is an industrial cluster located in Kumasi, Ghana and is one of the largest clusters of
its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa. The term ‘Magazine’ is a historical reference to the military armouries (or
magazines) that were located on the site during colonial times. The Magazine has an estimated
working population of over 200,000 people with approximately 12,000 micro, small and medium-sized
enterprises. These businesses are involved in a wide range of activities, with the majority specialising in
vehicle repair, spare parts sales and metal works such as casting, welding and engineering fabrication.
These entrepreneurs are renowned for their ingenuity, and customers come from throughout Ghana
and West Africa to purchase products and services from Suame Magazine. Despite this, many of the
small firms in the Magazine are struggling, with a lack of access to modern technology, communication
channels and markets forming barriers to economic prosperity. Most of the businesses in the Magazine
are in the informal sector - a segment of the economy characterised by small-scale, labour-intensive,
largely unregulated and unregistered manufacturing and service enterprises. The government of Ghana
estimates that 25% of people working in the informal sector live in poverty1.

Suame Magazine Industrial Development Organization

Suame Magazine Industrial Development Organization (SMIDO) is a non-governmental organization

created by the various trade associations operating within the Magazine. It was established in 2006
with the support of the ‘Business Sector Advocacy Challenge (BUSAC) Fund 2’ and the Dynamic Spare
Parts Dealers Association3 to foster local development. SMIDO has over 1600 individual registered
members and is affiliated with 12 associations within Suame Magazine. The mission of SMIDO is “to
ensure effective and efficient management of the Suame Magazine industrial estate with respect to
appropriate technological innovations, partnership, marketing, employment creation and enhanced
investment opportunities to establish the estate as the main industrial propelling sector of Ghana and
the technological hub of the African continent”. To pursue this mission, SMIDO collaborates with
industrial and institutional partners and investors to secure technology, expertise and financial
resources that will contribute to the Magazine’s development. Through the establishment of the Suame
Magazine Automatics Technical Institute (SMATI) in 2009, SMIDO runs programmes to build artisans’

1
National Development Planning Commission www.ndpc.gov.gh/pdf/WAIFEM%20-%20GPRS.ppt
2
The BUSAC Fund is a project funded by the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), the United Kingdom Department for
International Development (DFID) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as part of their support to private
sector development in Ghana.
3
The Dynamic Spare Parts Dealer Association (DSPDA) is one of several trade associations within Suame Magazine. DSPDA was the
recipient of the BUSAC Fund grant that lead to the formation of SMIDO.
capacity to run successful businesses. SMIDO also seeks to improve market access for businesses in
the Magazine through its engineering programme, which creates links with large formal sector
companies and introduces artisans to these companies’ standards and expectations.

More information about SMIDO can be found at www.smidoghana.org.

Position: Programme Coordinator – Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprise (MSME)
Capacity Development

The activities and responsibilities of the Programme Coordinator include:

• Coordinating the development and delivery of programmes run by SMATI, including a business
advisory programme and training in ICT, business skills, literacy and technical skills.

• Managing the implementation of SMIDO’s Needs Assessment study of Suame Magazine. This
includes working with institutional partners and research assistants for data collection, as well
as coordinating the integration of research results into SMIDO’s future activities.

• Overseeing monitoring and evaluation of programmes and making recommendations for

appropriate follow-up measures based on programme evaluations and the Needs Assessment.

• Working and maintaining relationships with governmental, non-governmental and institutional

partners, as well as establishing new partnerships where appropriate.

Duration & Compensation:

SMIDO will consider candidates who can commit to a 6-12 month placement starting between June and
August 2010. While this is a volunteer position, partial funding for living expenses will be provided.

Qualifications

The most important qualifications for this position are a desire to tackle challenging problems, superior
initiative-taking, strong communication skills (both verbally and in written work) and problem solving
skills, coupled with extreme patience, stamina in the heat and a sense of humour.

In addition to these qualities, the following qualifications would be an asset:

• A degree in international development, education, business administration or relevant field

• Experience working in developing countries
• Experience in conducting research, particularly social research studies
• Experience in project management

Next steps

Interested applicants are asked to e-mail a cover letter and resume to Yaw Gyamfi
(yagyamfi@gmail.com) and Rachel Alexander (rachelalexander@rogers.com). Please include the title
of the position for which you are applying in the subject line of the message.