This year’s Africa Street MBA Accelerator programme (AfSMBA), aimed to provide an integrated, regional support for start-ups and small businesses in the country has been launched in Accra.
The programme championed by DONE BY US, a management consultancy and investment firm, in collaboration with KGL Foundation, seeks to impact young people with world-class business knowledge based on top MBA curriculum and entrepreneurial course content.
It is targeted at marginalised groups (women, people from poor backgrounds, and people with low education) with innovative business ideas or already established businesses.
Launching the programme in Accra last Thursday, the Executive Director of AfSMBA, King A. Wellington, said this year’s programme was targeted at over 1,000 young people in Greater Accra, Eastern, Upper West, Bono, Volta and the Central Regions to undergo intensive one month in-person training sessions on entrepreneurship, coaching and mentorship.
He said the programme would also offer online resources and educational materials, reaching an additional 9,000 aspiring entrepreneurs virtually.
“Our intensive accelerator programme will provide coaching, mentorship, and capacity building for 30 exceptional young entrepreneurs from across the country. We will even award grants to 10 of the most promising start-ups by kind courtesy of KGL Foundation as part of the accelerator,” he added.
Mr Wellington said, in addition, the programme would build the employability skills of 10 unemployed young women through a certification programme from the London school of Public Relations as part of their Building Employability Skills for Youth in Ghana (BESYG) Project aimed at empowering the beneficiaries to be competitive in the job market.
The beneficiaries, he said would undergo a one month paid internship to gain work experience.
“We will be creating engaging podcasts, organising informative seminars, and even arranging inspiring industrial tours to keep our young entrepreneurs motivated and connected,” he added.
The Executive Director called on corporate institutions and organisations to support the project.
The Programmes Manager, KGL Foundation, Nii Ankonu Annorbah-Sarpei, called for renew commitment to the cause of youth empowerment and education.
He underscored the need to invest in the potential of the youth, to provide them with the opportunities they need to thrive, and to create a world where every young person could pursue their dreams and aspirations without fear or limitation.
He thus, expressed the foundation’s commitment to providing young people with the tools, resources, and support they need through CSO and NGOs like DONE BY US to realise their full potential and become agents of positive change in their communities.
The Director of Policy Planning, Budget and Evaluation at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Mr Issa Mahami for his part, said the objective of the programme was in line with the mandate of the ministry and pledged the ministry’s support to ensure the success of the programme.
BY VIVIAN ARTHUR