EXIM Bank trains graduate entrepreneurs : In business plan writing
The Ghana Export Import Bank (Ghana EXIM) has organised a three-day workshop to train a group of graduate entrepreneurs from 75 businesses in the writing of marketable and bankable business plans.
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The training was under the bank’s novel programme, the Graduate Enterprise Development Initiative (GEDI).
The workshop, which ended on July 22, was organised in partnership with the University of Cape Coast (UCC), the implementing partner of GEDI. It brought together businesspersons in the agro-processing industry, including cashew, tiger nut, watermelon, oranges, tomatoes, poultry, timber, yam and maize subsectors.
The overall objective of the workshop was to equip participants with the requisite skills to write business plans that will enable them to launch and grow agribusiness, including export trade.
Awarding the best
Come September 2016, EDAIF will award 20 businesses that have crafted the best plans with a start-up capital of GH¢100, 000.00 each for the expansion of their businesses.
Speaking at the workshop, Dr Osei Barfour of EXIM Bank explained that government expected the GEDI to create opportunity for graduate entrepreneurs to crystallise their ideas into viable and profitable businesses.
Dr Barfour stressed that participants should think outside the box and come out with something unique and spectacular in kind that will offer some promise that will meet the needs of consumers.
He charged the participants to be innovative and come out with business plans that will translate into value adding products that can compete with established products.
“You must come out with projects and programmes that are bankable and marketable,” he added.
He noted that since the participants from the 75 business applicants constitute the pioneer group, their performance will go a long way to impact the prospects or otherwise of GEDI in the future.
Complementary service
Dr Barfour disclosed that GEDI is complementary to the Youth Enterprise Support (YES), which was launched by President John Dramani Mahama in August 2014, and seeks to contribute to efforts to make Ghana an export-led country.
He explained that the transformation of Export Development and Agricultural Investment Fund (EDAIF) into the EXIM Bank would help address some of the operational challenges of that the fund faced.
Lead Facilitator of GEDI, Prof. Rosemond Boohene of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) Business School, stated that the purpose of GEDI was to reduce graduate unemployment and to promote entrepreneurship among the youth.
Prof Boohene observed that the tag, “unemployed graduate” is not the best, and therefore persuaded the participants “to work assiduously” to rid themselves of it. Other facilitators included Mr Phanuel Wunu, Mr Martin Bosompem, Dr Daniel Agyapong, Mr Dominic Owusu and Dr Zagina Isshaq, all of the UCC.