The Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG) has stated categorically that the days that the Association was associated with industrial actions are over.
“We have now moved away from strikes to entrepreneurship and are 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 were preceded by a rendition of reggae songs of the late Raggae King, Bob Marley, including ‘redemption song’ by the evergreen CLOGSAG 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 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 office complex project with state-of-the-art facilities and 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 would come out with pragmatic policies that would help the Association to grow and cautioned the new leadership to be elected, that they will be forced to work if they failed to give their best as the old executives were able to change issues and more needed to be done for 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 would together continue to grow from strength to strength and seek the welfare of workers.
Dr Evans Agbeme Dzikum, President of CLOGSAG, said despite a few 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 prepared and strategising for members to be economically empowered and 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 that included the Pempamsie fund, the formation of the band, the institution of the Nathan Quao awards, and a few incentives for members, among others and urged members to renew their thinking and embrace the new concept of entrepreneurship to create wealth.
