The 2019 edition of the entrepreneurial conference for small businesses, Enhancing Development of Ghanaian Entrepreneurs conference (EDGECon), has been held in Accra with a call on the government to support entrepreneurs.

They also called on the government to relax its criteria for such things as loans to enable entrepreneurs to access funds to grow their business.

The 2019 edition of the annual conference was on the theme, ‘Doing Business in Ghana – Anxiety or Assurance?’ and was attended by business owners as well as policy-makers alike academicians.

EDGECon was conceptualized by the UK Government and Technoserve in 2015 with an objective of bringing together a network of entrepreneurs, government, financial institutions and business development service providers to find common solutions to entrepreneurship development challenges.

The 2019 event was led by the ENGINE Business Network, headed by Mr. Ernest Gavor, with support from the UKaid.

The conference panel discussed issues centered on challenges that entrepreneurs face in their daily lives such as the access to market since it is almost impossible to penetrate markets with their products. Also, there were concerns that the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has been frustrating the work of many entrepreneurs with their unusually high standards for especially startups.

On the subject of education, discussions centered on the fact that most of the courses studied in schools disconnect from the corporate world, making it difficult for job seekers to be incorporated into the world of work.

The conference agreed that the spirit of entrepreneurship should be imbibed into all students at levels of education so that it guides and helps them to take interest in working for themselves one day.

There were other sessions that aimed to quip entrepreneurs with necessary table manners such as table appearance, table behaviour and table communication; how to explore various avenues available for SME funding and the necessary processes an entrepreneur should go through in order to be eligible for financial support.

Mr. Curtis Shine, an entrepreneur and farmer shared first-hand experience and information on starting and maintaining a business.

Also, there were over 80 Made in Ghana products on display at an exhibition on the sidelines of the conference.

EDGEcon has represented key state institutions including the Ministries of Finance, Trade and Industry, Business Development, and Communication; the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA); the Registrar Generals Department (RGD); the Ghana Exim Bank; and the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC). Private sector participants for the conference are drawn from key institutions active in entrepreneurship development, development partners, leading academics and researchers, entrepreneurs, BDS consultants, and key industry groupings (PEF, AGI, Chamber of Commerce, All 24 Hubs and Co-working Space providers etc.)