The UK-Ghana Chamber of Commerce (UKGCC), a member-based commerce affiliation that promotes commerce between the UK and Ghana, has concluded its Grand Problem Programme workshops in Kumasi, the place policymakers have been urged to introduce pressing reforms to assist innovation and entrepreneurship in Ghana.
The occasion was held on the Kwame Nkrumah College of Science and Expertise (KNUST), with the intention to develop and suggest technological, social, or monetary options to deal with key challenges in Ghana’s agriculture and power sectors.
The workshop introduced collectively innovators and key figures from the agriculture and power sectors to debate methods for making a extra conducive enterprise setting. The trade specialists included Mawuli Kobla Amedofu, Provide Chain Lead at DEXT Applied sciences; Prof. Joseph Oppong Akowuah from the Division of Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering; Dr. Gifty Boakye Appiah from KNUST’s Division of Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness, and Extension; Franklin Eshun from Ghana TVET Service; and Dr. Makafui John Bedzra, Innovation Supervisor, KNUST Faculty of Engineering.
The workshop additionally featured a reside pitch session the place over 15 contributors obtained constructive suggestions on their concepts, and masterclasses on Mental Property, Investor Readiness, and Commercialisation facilitated by Nuna Attipoe – Korqanteng & Koranteng; Kingsley Agyekum – Constancy Financial institution; and Mawuli Ocloo of SalesRev, respectively .
Urgency in Pursuing Innovation
The session, themed “Coverage as an Enabler for Creating an Innovation-Pleasant Setting,” centered on addressing boundaries to entrepreneurship and selling systemic modifications to encourage enterprise progress.
Franklin Eshun of Ghana TVET Service noticed that younger individuals in Ghana usually lack urgency in pursuing innovation, largely resulting from a comparatively snug setting the place primary wants are met.
“If you end up in a scenario the place you’re near extinction, you’re near being taken off the floor of the earth utterly, you’ll be pushed to do issues for your self. And that’s what I feel is affecting us as a result of more often than not, no matter we need to use, we discover. And as soon as you’re discovering them, you discover them readily. You aren’t so hungry to do one thing for your self. And that’s what is affecting what we do right here,” he mentioned.
For Dr. Gifty Boakye Appiah, getting younger individuals to pursue innovation begins with difficult themselves to assume in another way to convey concerning the change society seeks. She, due to this fact, urged younger innovators current to hunt out related occasions such because the Grand Problem Workshop, the place alternatives abound for modern pondering and funding avenues.
“The thought begins with you and fortunately, there are a number of hubs and accelerators you may leverage on, the place you can be guided on the way to convey your concept to fruition, enable you streamline it, and provide you with all of the assist you require.
Even when they don’t have direct funding, the hubs and accelerators know the place to direct you to amass the funding you might want to allow you contribute to the change we’re on the lookout for”, she remarked.
Representatives from authorities businesses shared particulars of ongoing initiatives geared toward supporting startups and small companies. Amongst them is the Progressive Licensing Scheme (PLS), launched by the Meals and Medication Authority (FDA). This three-stage licensing system helps small companies enhance product security and high quality whereas making certain compliance with public well being laws.
Moreover, the HAPPY Mission, applied by the Ghana Enterprises Basis in partnership with the Mastercard Basis and Agri-Impression Co. Ltd, goals to empower 15,000 younger entrepreneurs. The initiative focuses on post-production actions inside key agricultural worth chains akin to rice, soybean, tomato, and poultry.
The UKGCC Grand Problem Programme
The UKGCC’s Head of Exterior Relations, Worlase Afatsiawo, shared throughout her opening remarks that the Grand Problem Programme seeks to encourage and assist innovation that addresses urgent nationwide and sectoral challenges, and foster collaboration between researchers, entrepreneurs, authorities businesses, and the personal sector.
She added that the programme additional seeks to offer capacity-building and funding alternatives to innovators to refine and scale their options, in addition to create a sustainable pipeline of investable, commercially viable, and impactful tasks.
“Along with the mentorship and steerage obtained from trade leaders on the workshop, shortlisted candidates may even obtain the chance to pitch for spots in a United Kingdom roadshow—providing worldwide publicity and funding alternatives,” she concluded.
Based on Mrs. Afatsiawo, the workshops held in each Accra and Kumasi, will probably be adopted by a public invitation for researchers, entrepreneurs, and innovators to submit proposals.
She urged aspiring contestants to sit up for the announcement on the UKGCC’s social media platforms.
The UKGCC Grand Problem falls underneath the Sankore Programme, a United Kingdom Authorities-backed initiative underneath the West Africa Analysis and Innovation Hub (WARIH). Sankore focuses on strengthening West African innovation methods and scaling impactful options in West Africa and past.
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