The Regional Consultant of IGNITE Social Enterprise, Paul Elikem Dovi, has urged young entrepreneurs to build sustainable businesses by identifying problems in their communities and developing solutions that create value.
He said entrepreneurship should go beyond starting businesses for personal gain and focus on creating enterprises that could contribute to job creation, economic growth and national development.
Mr Dovi made the call at a five-day UPSA 1000 & Ghana Entrepreneurship Conference held last Thursday at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA).
The conference was held on the theme, “1000 Dreams, One Ghana: Turning Ambition into Enterprise,” and brought together policymakers, bankers, entrepreneurs and other players in the business sector to discuss ways of promoting sustainable entrepreneurship and business growth.
Entrepreneurship
Mr Dovi said digital platforms had created opportunities for young people to enter the market, but access to such platforms alone did not guarantee business success.
He stressed that entrepreneurs needed to build their businesses on hard work, commitment and integrity, which he described as key competitive advantages.
Mr Dovi urged entrepreneurs to treat people fairly, deliver genuine value and protect their reputation, saying businesses built on strong values were more likely to earn the trust of customers and other stakeholders.
He said Ghana needed enterprises built on solid foundations and led by people committed to creating lasting value.
IGNITE
Mr Dovi explained that IGNITE was an e-commerce business that sold products across the globe and had been established about six months ago, with its headquarters in Hong Kong.
He said the company’s presence in Ghana was aimed at marketing some of its products while also exploring opportunities to promote Ghanaian products on the international market.
He mentioned products such as Activa, Scenery and Brainify, an artificial intelligence (AI) product with applications in areas including content creation, finance, cryptocurrency and marketing.
Mr Dovi said the company was also interested in sourcing products from Ghana for distribution to markets outside the country.
He mentioned local products as one of the Ghanaian products the company was interested in promoting globally.
Partner
He further disclosed plans to partner a Ghanaian company to package and market some of its products.
Mr Dovi clarified that IGNITE was an e-commerce business and not a service or job provider.
He said interested persons could register online as brand affiliates as part of the company’s business model.
The Vice-Chancellor of UPSA, Professor John Kwaku Mensah Mawutor, said entrepreneurship had become an important part of the education being provided by the university.
He said through teaching and research, the university was preparing students to identify needs, develop ideas and create employment.
Professor Mawutor said academic achievement should go hand in hand with practical ability and integrity, adding that the university was also promoting interdisciplinary research to enable students to combine knowledge from different fields to solve national problems.
He urged students to investigate problems, test their ideas and improve them with the people who would use their products or services.
For his part, the Guest of honour, the Paramount Chief of the Atebubu Traditional Area, Ohempon Dr Yeboah Asiamah, urged entrepreneurs to turn everyday problems into business opportunities by developing solutions to challenges confronting people in their communities.
He said ambition should be directed towards solving problems and creating value for others rather than being pursued solely for personal gain.
