Denis Opudo
The government of Ghana has pledged to offer free training to around 6, 000 startup businesses as an initiative of National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Plan (NEIP). The Ministry of Business Development will be in charge of foreseeing the training. National Business Planning competition was launched 23rd November 2017, and within a span of the short period the forum has received 6, 000 applicants and the government has offered to train all of them.
After the training the 6,000 trainees will be reduced to 500 who will be privileged to get either GHc 10,000 or GHc 100, 000 depending on the nature and sector of business. The application was carried through online across ten regions in Ghana and was nonpolitical to avoid the issue of nepotism, undue advantage, and favoritism.
The government led by the president has set aside $10 million towards the initiative which could be raised to $100 million to show its commitment to providing an enabling business environment. Ghana has lagged behind in the Global Competitiveness Index rankings, and this reflects the high level of difficulties in doing business in the country that affects growth and hinders national development.
The government assured that it would ensure there is a business-friendly environment through business support and job creation to reduce the rate of unemployment in the country. The Ministry of Business Development is at the forefront of creating more employment opportunities within the country. Currently, it has opened more than 75, 000 domes in Dawhenya which are producing a large number of products that have already gotten market globally. The ministry is looking forward to partner with various sectors in creating more employment opportunities.
