The MTN Ghana Foundation has onboarded 150 beneficiaries for the second edition of its MTN Enterprise Support Programme.
The beneficiaries were selected through a rigorous process that included pitch competitions and interviews conducted in Central, Eastern, Volta, and Greater Accra regions.
The MTN Foundation's Enterprise Support Programme is a transformative initiative aimed at empowering Ghanaian entrepreneurs.
This year, the programme has supported 39 differently abled individuals, 61 women, and 50 young people, all of whom run small businesses.
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Beneficiaries also received a package that included comprehensive business training and seed capital ranging from GH¢10,000 to GH¢20,000.
Participants will also receive training in bookkeeping, costing and pricing, branding, sales and marketing, financial literacy, digital marketing, and customer service, all tailored to meet their specific needs.
This programme is part of the MTN Ghana Foundation's commitment to fostering the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which play a vital role in driving Ghana's economy.
It specifically targets youth, women, and differently abled persons who are entrepreneurs as part of its diversity and inclusion programme.
During the onboarding ceremony for the beneficiaries in the Eastern Region, Adwoa Afriyie Wiafe, the Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer of MTN Ghana, stated, "Today, we are here to continue our efforts to promote inclusive and sustainable growth for entrepreneurs through the MTN SMEs Support Programme. This initiative, led by the MTN Ghana Foundation, aims to contribute to ongoing efforts to bring the nation closer to achieving Sustainable Development Goals 9, which focuses on Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure."
The selected beneficiaries expressed gratitude to MTN Ghana for believing in them and providing capital for their businesses.
They committed to utilising the funds wisely to expand their ventures.
Lawrence Inkoom, a sandal maker, who shared his experience said, "I was struggling to find support to invest in my business, but help was not forthcoming. With the support of the MTN Ghana Foundation, I can now produce more sandals for the market."
Christine Dekator, a differently abled beneficiary from the Volta region, expressed her gratitude to MTN Ghana Foundation for the support.
She said "the funds will help expand her cassava farm and gari processing business.
Memuna Ahmed, a Palm oil processor from the Eastern region, was so excited to receive this support from MTN Ghana Foundation.
She noted that, "This support will relieve me of most of the challenges I am currently facing in my business.
The MTN Ghana Foundation launched the Enterprise Support Programme as part of a commitment made during MTN Ghana's 25th-anniversary celebrations to boost the sector.
The programme aims to support approximately 500 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), consisting of youth, women, and differently abled entrepreneurs over the next five years.
By providing these SMEs with the necessary tools, resources, and mentorship, the initiative seeks to create a more vibrant and resilient business landscape.
Following the launch of this initiative in partnership with Innohub in 2023, a total of 140 businesses were selected from the Greater Accra, Ashanti, and Western regions.
THE global beauty, makeup and wellness industry is worth over $700 billion in 2024 and estimated to increase further in subsequent years.
This according to the Fund Manager, Ghana Skills Development Fund (GSDF), Mr Dunwell Eku, presents a booming industry that employed millions and Ghanaians, especially the youth must take advantage of opportunities within the sector to address unemployment challenges.
"Clearly, there is money to be made within the industry and Africans, especially Ghanaians must begin to take advantage of the space," he stated.
Mr Eku was speaking at recently held 8th edition of the Africa Makeup and Beauty (AMB) Fair in Accra which brought together vendors and beauty and wellness enthusiasts to explore growth initiatives.
The event christened: 'Synergy Edition,' witnessed workshops, discount sales, live demonstrations, exhibitions, soiree as well as fashion and beauty shows.
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It also served as a platform for industry players to network and share ideas, while collaborating to expand and sustain the AMB Fair.
Mr Eku emphasised that, "this is a very stable and reliable industry and has seen massive growth over the years. The beauty sector is not only lucrative but also a source of job creation, with millions already employed worldwide. Ghanaians, must seize opportunities within this space to build businesses, create jobs and generate income."
He advised Ghanaians in the business to improve their customer service since they were dealing with people and their interactions would have immediate effect on their business.
"It is important to have a business model that appeals to clients and also expand into new areas where there are many opportunities, "he stressed. For example, he said, the cosmetics space had developed, urging entrepreneurs to come out with unique products that would make an impact in the market.
He commended Makeup Ghana, organisers of the event for the initiative of bringing players under one umbrella to foster unity and growth. The Chief Executive Officer of Makeup Ghana, Rebecca Donkor, stressed the need for industry players to work towards
