Season 5 of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme’s Presidential Pitch has been held on the 23rd of August 2024 at the Movenpick Hotel in Accra.
The concluding season of the initiative under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo seeks to provide funding boosts to young entrepreneurs aged 18 to 40 operating in five sectors, namely Agriculture, Fintech and Technology, Manufacturing and Processing, Tourism and Creative Arts, and TVET.
The grand finale saw 10 finalists who were to present the pitch to a team of judges, with one winner selected from among the lot and the others given various cash awards.
Naamgwinaa Samuel, founder of Naamgwinaa Technologies, an innovative electronic company, won the ultimate prize of GHC 250,000 with his smart switch solutions.
This was followed by Wisdom Boadu of FreshLine PHS, an agriculture post-harvest solutions enterprise who got GHC 150,000, and Bismark Asante of Décor Plus, a green company that recycles PVC to innovatively manufacture various products. Bismark took home GHC 140,000.
The 7 other finalists won various cash prizes.
In his speech, President Akufo-Addo reaffirmed the government’s commitment to fostering an environment that encourages entrepreneurship.
He also expressed confidence in the abilities of the entrepreneurs to excel in their undertakings while contributing to the development of the economy.
“I am proud to support the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators in Ghana, and I am confident that they will drive the country’s economic growth and development,” he said.
The President also used the occasion to rename the overall prize after the late first Chief Executive Officer of NEIP and former deputy Finance Minister, John Ampontuah Kumah, thus the Dr. John A. Kumah Prize for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
For his part, Chief Executive Officer of NEIP, Kofi Ofosu Nkansah, praised the President for his commitment to the development of the Ghanaian youth since assuming office, highlighting the introduction of the Free Senior High School policy and investments in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education.
“Even before you were elected to the high office, you embarked on a mission to revolutionise education, recognising it as the gateway to opportunity and progress. The introduction of free senior high school education was not just a policy but a declaration of your belief in the power of knowledge and its capacity to shape futures. Every young Chanaian, regardless of their economic background, now has the chance to dream big and achieve even bigger.”
“Your legacy includes 10 state-of-the-art STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) schools. These institutions are designed to cultivate the talents of our youth in diverse fields, ensuring that they are equipped to excel in an ever-evolving global landscape and to be at the forefront of the 4th industrial revolution,” he said.
“Through this competition and your full-hearted support, many entrepreneurs have established businesses, acted on their innovative ideas, and scaled up their businesses,” he added.
Present at the event was the Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance, Mrs. Abena Osei-Asare.
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