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Accra, Ghana – The MTN Ghana Foundation has announced the successful onboarding of 150 small and medium-sized enterprises for the second edition of its MTN Enterprise Support Program.
These beneficiaries were selected through a rigorous process that included pitch competitions and interviews conducted in Central, Eastern, Volta, and the Greater Accra regions of Ghana.
The MTN Foundation’s Enterprise Support Program is a transformative initiative aimed at empowering Ghanaian entrepreneurs. This year, the program has supported 39 differently abled individuals, 61 women, and 50 young people, all of whom run small businesses.
Beneficiaries received a package that included comprehensive business training and seed capital ranging from Ghc10,000 to GHc20,000. Participants would also receive training in bookkeeping, costing, and pricing, branding, sales and marketing, financial literacy, digital marketing, and customer service, all tailored to meet their specific needs.
This program is part of MTN Ghana Foundation’s commitment to fostering the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which play a vital role in driving Ghana’s economy. It specifically targets youth, women, and differently abled persons who are entrepreneurs as part of its diversity and inclusion program.
During the onboarding ceremony for beneficiaries in the Eastern Region, Adwoa Afriyie Wiafe, the Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer of MTN Ghana, stated, “Today, we are here to continue our efforts to promote inclusive and sustainable growth for entrepreneurs through the MTN SME Support Program. This initiative, led by the MTN Ghana Foundation, aims to contribute to ongoing efforts to bring the nation closer to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 9, which focuses on Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure.”
The selected beneficiaries expressed gratitude to MTN for believing in them and providing capital for their businesses. They committed to utilizing the funds wisely to expand their ventures.
Lawrence Inkoom, a sandal maker, shared his experience: “I was struggling to find support to invest in my business, but help was not forthcoming. With the support of the MTN Ghana Foundation, I can now produce more sandals for the market.”
Christine Dekator, a differently abled beneficiary from the Volta region expressed her gratitude to MTN Ghana Foundation for support. She said “the funds will help expand her cassava farm and gari processing business”.
Memuna Ahmed, a Palm oil processor from the Eastern region, was so excited to receive this support from MTN Ghana Foundation. She said “This support will relieve me of most of the challenges I am currently facing in my business”.
The MTN Ghana Foundation launched the Enterprise Support Program as part of a commitment made during MTN Ghana’s 25th-anniversary celebrations to boost the SMEs sector. The program aims to support approximately 500 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), consisting of youth, women, and differently abled entrepreneurs over a period of five years. By providing these SMEs with the necessary tools, resources, and mentorship, the initiative seeks to create a more vibrant and resilient business landscape.
Following the launch of this initiative in partnership with Innohub in 2023, a total of 140 businesses were selected from the Greater Accra, Ashanti, and Western regions.
Source: MTN Communications
