From Richard Owusu-Akyaw
A day’s National Entrepreneurship Seminar has been launched in Kumasi, with a call on Ghanaians to find and fix the missing link which is hampering the development of entrepreneurship in Ghana.
The theme of the seminar, organised by the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) and Youth Enterprise Support (YES), was: “Creating a more Entrepreneurial Economy”.
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, represented by Nana Owusu Ansah, Morsohene of Asante Akyem, said Ghana needs change in our entrepreneurship sector, and stressed the need to fix the missing link to see more innovations.
He noted that entrepreneurship is worth development, and entails all legitimate businesses, which are the engine of the economy, saying, “Let us harness the potential that we have”.
According to him, the era of selling dog chains, works of artisans, and other enterprises need innovations.
He commended the President for initiating YES, which, he said, will allow the Ghanaian entrepreneurship to develop.
The Chief Executive Officer of GIPC, Mrs. Mawuena Trebarh, noted that the National Entrepreneurship Seminar is a first step required to tackling entrepreneurship for an economic shift to occur, as opposed to the experience of individuals just owning their businesses.
According to her, the event is intended to create and pursue a national discussion on making our economy enterprising, innovative and sustainable. Entrepreneurship should be about how the entire system works by building revolutionary and progressive ways of doing things and transacting business.
She continued that this has become necessary as a result of the government’s policy to increase the supply and improve the quality of entrepreneurial and management skills in all sectors of the economy, with particular reference to the manufacturing sector.
“If Ghana can continue to generate the right kind of investments for Ghanaians, through successful and innovative local businesses, it becomes the foundation for developing its labour to meet international standards, and also increases the interest in foreign investors to participate in a vibrant and budding economy,” she noted.
On the future on entrepreneurship in Ghana, Mrs. Trebarh indicated that in the long run, they are looking to strengthen existing private and government training institutions with industry collaborations that will shape the current and future skills requirements and demands of industry for all sectors of the economy.
The CEO of YES, Ms. Helga Aryee Boadi, sad her outfit is championing training, and wants to use the entrepreneur workshop to educate people who have applied for business support, to know the requirements of the business sector and explore the opportunities out there for them, and how they can utilise them to their advantage.
She stressed that her outfit would not give any applicants any financial start-up until they are satisfied that the latter is clear in the mind what product or service they want to trade in, their target market, and plans to grow the business.
Mr. Larry C. Farrell, who gave a lecture on entrepreneurship, urged participants and Ghanaians, especially the youth, to be innovative and come out with entrepreneurship ideas, rather looking up to the state or the private sector for employment.