By Kingsley Nana Buadu
About 200 young entrepreneurs and SMEs including students have received capacity-building training on entrepreneurial finance and what they should know to become successful.
The one-day free training, which took place at the University of Cape Coast, was organised by Access Bank as part of its corporate social responsibility and in partnership with the University of Cape Coast Design Thinking and Innovative Hub, Development Bank Ghana, and other partners.
Research has shown that entrepreneurs hold Ghana’s economy, contributing over 70 per cent to employment and over 60 per cent to GDP.
SMEs form the bedrock of the economies of many developing countries, including Ghana, and have become more important than ever, especially in these times following the global economic crisis. Unfortunately, SMEs across the globe are beset with many challenges, prominent amongst them being funding.
It is for this reason that Access Bank and its partners are focusing on promoting the course of entrepreneurs, especially students and young ones in Ghana.
The Head of Business Unit at Access Bank, Jones Darmoe, explained that, Small and medium scale enterprises form the bedrock of the economies of many developing countries, including Ghana, hence the decision for the training.
The Director of the University of Cape Coast Design Thinking and Innovative Hub, Dr. Mrs. Keren Naa Abeka Arthur, noted that the University has inculcated entrepreneurial skills in its activities for its students to become problem solvers in society.
According to her, partnering with Access Bank for the training programme is a strategic one to develop the entrepreneurial mindset of the students.
A young entrepreneur, Philomina Ekua Serwaa Vicar, was grateful for the training. According to her, the training has opened her eyes to many things that would help her young business.
She mentioned bookkeeping, for instance, and how to access financial support to improve her young business by putting together proper business proposals.
