The Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (GLOGSAG) has stated categorically that the days where the Association was associated with industrial actions were over.
“We have now moved away from strikes to entreneurership and poised to make our members entrepreneurs to generate extra income to improve their livelihoods”.
Gum Naba Alhaji Mohamadu Assibi Azonko former President of CLOGSAG made the remarks at the 14th National Quadrennial Delegates Congress on the theme:” Introducing SMEs as Avenue for self-sufficiency” at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) NEC auditorium.
Proceedings of the Congress was preceeded by a rendition of reggae songs of the late Raggae King, Bob Marley, including ‘redemption song’ by the evergreen CLIGSAG Band which charged the atmosphere, compelling both delegates and executives to troop to the dance floor with energy, vigour and joy while singing along.
Alhaji Azonko enumerated a number of projects and programmes being undertaken by the Association to transform the lives of its members.
They include the Pempamsie Hotel in Cape Coast which is now being upgraded into a tourist’s village with many more facilities, the CLOGSAG Bank, a TV station called the CLOG TV and the Band which were all generating revenue for the Association.
A 16-floor offices complex project with state-of-the art facilities with a floor each for the 16 regions of the country is in the offing, he revealed.
Alhaji Azonko inspired the delegates to be serious and make good use of the congress to help them meet the future with boldness.
He was hopeful that the Congress will come out with pragmatic policies that will help the Association to grow well and cautioned the new leadership to be elected that they will be forced to work if they failed to give their best because the old executives have been able to change issues and more needed to be done to better the lots of its members.
On the labour front, he praised all sister unions for working together to seek their welfare but added that they wanted their employers to know that it was not easy for them.
He said organised labour had become more united than ever and assured that they will together continue to grow from strength to strength and seek the welfare of workers.
Dr Evans Agbeme Dzikum, President of CLOGSAG said despite a number of interventions by government to cushion workers, it had been a difficult year due to the economic recession the world over and called for more to be done to ease their burden.
He noted that the Association was now fully prepared and was strategising for members to be economically empowered and tremendous efforts was being done to enhance their livelihoods.
The Association chose the theme strategically because it wanted its members to become efficient prolific job creators to serve as a source of engine of growth of the nation.
He mentioned 17 achievements of the Association which included the Pempamsie fund, the formation of the band, the institution of the Nathan Quao awards programme , a number of incentives for members, among others and urged members to renew their thinking and and embrace the new concept on entrepreneurship to create wealth.