A total of 20 young entrepreneurs in the Northern Region have been awarded grants to support them to implement their innovative business ideas to expand and increase profit margins.
Their innovative business ideas cut across agribusiness, local fabric weaving, fashion design, bakery amongst others, and the grants ranged from GHc2,000 to GHc5,000.
They were selected for the grants after participating in the SONGTABA Entrepreneurship Training and Business Micro Grant Challenge held in Tamale.
The SONGTABA Entrepreneurship Training and Business Micro Grant Challenge formed part of a 12-month project implemented by Songtaba, a non-governmental organisation, with funding support from EMpower to support young entrepreneurs in business innovation and E-commerce in a post COVID-19 era to make use of digital platforms to promote their businesses and increase profit margins.
Madam Lamnatu Adam, Executive Director of Songtaba, speaking at the grants’ award ceremony in Tamale, encouraged the grantees/entrepreneurs to work harder to expand and sustain their businesses.
She said “The grant is not much but it is much. With this, if you work harder, you can get bigger opportunities. You have all the soft skills and management skills to succeed.”
The entrepreneurs, prior to the award of the grants to them, were taken through a series of trainings on entrepreneurship, financial management, and use of digital platforms/E-commerce to market their products.
Alhaji Shani Alhassan Saibu, Northern Regional Minister, lauded the initiative saying it would contribute to reducing unemployment and poverty levels in the region.
Alhaji Saibu said, “As a government, we would continue to create and also support other organisations like Songtaba to develop initiatives to contribute to the sustainable development goals on reducing poverty and creating decent work and economic growth.”
He encouraged young people to position themselves to take advantage of similar opportunities across the country to build their future.
Mr Mathew Azoya, Northern Regional Director of Ghana Enterprises Agency, one of the trainers of the beneficiary entrepreneurs, assured of continuing to coach and guide them to ensure that they made effective use of the grants to expand and sustain their businesses.
Miss Rahinatu Mohammed, a fashion designer from Tamale, who was a grantee, said lessons learnt during the trainings would help her do the right things for the growth of her business.
She noted that there was high demand for ready-made clothes saying she would use her grant to purchase more materials (clothes) to sew dresses and sell.