MTN Ghana Foundation has launched the Enterprise Support Program which is geared towards boosting youth entrepreneurship and driving innovation across the country. The initiative, which is in partnership with Innohub Foundation, is part of MTN’s legacy projects aimed at accelerating socio-economic growth through economic empowerment initiatives.

Through this partnership, MTN Enterprise Support Program will support 500 small businesses operated by youth, students, women and persons with disabilities over a five-year period with training, business development support, technical assistance and seed funding. Each year, 100 SMEs will be supported. Selected businesses will go through incubation and training on practical business and ideas for implementation.

The Enterprise Support initiative will target businesses across the 16 regions of Ghana within the five-year period. However, the first year of the initiative will target business within the Greater Accra, Ashanti, and Western regions. Interested SMEs in the regions listed are invited to visit https://lnkd.in/eY2ajC-t to apply. Application deadline is 30th April 2023.

Speaking at the launch of the Enterprise Support Program, the Senior Manager for Sustainability and Social Impact of the MTN Ghana Foundation, Robert Kuzoe, underscored the need for such an initiative.

He said, “the aim of this program is to support young entrepreneurs with the requisite skills to help them sustain their businesses for the benefit of our communities and the country at large. During our 25th anniversary celebrations, MTN announced an initiative to drive and support the growth of SMEs and enterprises. It is for this reason that we are committing over GHS1 million to the Enterprise Support Program to boost youth entrepreneurship and innovation and reduce youth unemployment in the country.”

The CEO of Innohub Foundation, Nelson Amo expressed gratitude to MTN for the partnership, adding that the initiative will unlock growth opportunities for SMEs and accelerate youth entrepreneurship.

“The MTN Enterprise Support Program will go down in history as one of Ghana’s most impactful private sector initiatives that will unlock access to finance for micro and small businesses and help them scale. This initiative will go a long way to create pathways for job creation, economic empowerment and build a more resilient economy.”

CEO of National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), Kofi Ofosu Nkansah commended MTN Foundation and Innohub for such a laudable initiative and called on other stakeholders to invest in such enterprise initiatives to help small scale businesses and minimize graduate and youth unemployment across the country.

The initiative will target businesses within the agribusiness value chain, fashion, food processing, cosmetic production, fish processing, renewable energy, TVET among others.