The Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, has called on corporate bodies to provide more support for young entrepreneurs in the country.
He said access to funding and mentoring opportunities continued to be a major challenge for many entrepreneurs in the country and this could be reversed with more commitment from corporate institutions to support the government’s efforts.
The Minister said this at the awards ceremony of Total Ghana’s “Startupper” competition.
He also noted that support from the corporate bodies would help in shaping the ideas and business plans, unearth skills and equip the entrepreneurs with skills relevant to the world of work.
“The Republic of Ghana, not just this government but any other government, has remained dedicated to the movement of encouraging young people to be as entrepreneurial as possible,” Dr Spio-Garbrah said.
Awards
Total Petroleum Ghana Limited climaxed its maiden edition of the “startupper of the year” contest with an awards ceremony in Accra.
The contest, which was launched last year, was aimed at unearthing and supporting young and budding entrepreneurs with financial packages and coaching programmes.
From the hundreds of applications received, the number was whittled down to 10 applicants who were presented with a platform to present their projects before a panel of judges.
In the end, three winners namely Joshua Ayinbora of JE&F Company Limited, Eunice Owusu-Karikari of E-juice Company Limited, and Salma Abdulai of Unique Quality Product Enterprise were adjudged the best.
The three walked away with GH¢160,000 and a year-long coaching programme for their businesses which would be sponsored by Total Ghana.
The Managing Director of Total Ghana, Mr Olivier Van Parys, said he was impressed with the quality and diversity of the submissions received.
“There were a number of great ideas. Some of them are still on paper while others have already taken off. This shows that Ghana has young people with talent and entrepreneurship skills,” he said.
Mr Van Parys also added that it was the role of corporate institutions to contribute to the development of young entrepreneurs as they could provide employment, replace imports and positively impact the environment.