GEA MASTERCARD FOUNDATION BUSINESS IN A BOX (BIZBOX) PROJECT

The Ghana Enterprises Agency Business Advisory Centre of Lower Manya Krobo Municipal on Friday,31st May, 2024 held a 1-day Entrepreneurship and Mindset Shift Training Workshop under a project dubbed “Business in a Box”- BizBox at the Municipal Assembly Conference Hall.

The workshop which was graced by the Municipal Chief Executive welcomed all selected participants especially Skilled Craft People (SCPs) and their apprentices as well as Women Owned Business (WOB) from different sectors; dressmaking and hairdressing being the most predominant sectors.

The main objectives of the training is to convey the benefits of the BizBox Project Skills training, for the participants to have a concept of entrepreneurship, ensure that the trainees/apprentices as well as the Skilled Craft Persons (SCPs) are committed to the program, clarify roles and responsibilities of all participants, etc.

Addressing the participants, the MCE of Lower Manya Krobo Municipal, Hon. Simon Kweku Tetteh welcomed the two hundred and fifty participants to the workshop and thanked them for making time out of their busy schedules to attend the program. He emphasized that the Government of Ghana through the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation is committed to making sure that jobs are created in all sectors across the country. This is in fulfillment of one of the Government’s flagship policies- “Planting for Food and Job”, which also falls a section of the Local Government Act. The Local Government Acts mandates all District/Municipal Assembly to grow and establish MSMEs in their jurisdiction as part of an effort to create jobs for the youth. It is in this fulfilment of this mandate that the performance of the Assembly is assessed- “he added”. He encouraged the participants to show commitment to the program as this program will impact their lives positively.

The Business Advisory Centre (BAC) Head, Mr. Edmund Addo gave a brief overview of the project as he made his presentations. He started by saying that this project is a scale up/upgrade of the Young Africa Works (YAW), now Business in Box-BizBox being implemented by the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) in collaboration/partnership with the Mastercard Foundation is to provide an employment and income opportunities for 250,000 young men and women aged between 15-35 years with 70% women and 10% Persons with disabilities (PWDs) by the end of four (4) years. He was quick to add that the project comes with five (5) key intervention pillars; (i)Youth Skills Development, (ii)Access to Market (A2M), (iii)Access to Start-up kits, (iv)Youth Social Network and (v) Institutional Strengthening, Policy and Regulatory Support.

Also present at the Workshop was the Municipal Coordinating Director, Mr. Selorm Tibu. He concluded by saying that they should not abuse this opportunity being offered unto them and should see it as a transformational agenda.