Students advised to create businesses out of societal challenges

In commemoration of this year’s International Women’s Day, the Ladies Network for Economic Freedom, in partnership with Ghana Education Service La Nkwantanang Municipality, held a seminar for some school-going children on the benefits of entrepreneurship.

Educating the pupils on what entrepreneurship is, the Chief Executive Officer of Chayil Institute, Pastor Charles Fiifi Hagan, tasked the students with making money out of other people’s problems, which according to him is the basic definition of entrepreneurship.

Using an illustration of mobile telecommunication companies, he said if a student wants to communicate with a relative who is not near but far away from his or her place of abode, the said person could only achieve that aim through either a phone call or a text message, which he will have to pay to the service provider such as MTN, Vodafone, or AirtelTigo. He said this is also simply termed entrepreneurship since the network provider will deduct some charges from the service it has offered him or her.

“Now let’s look at this. Your aunt is on Cape Coast. What do you do?” He asked the students, and one replied, “I will text her.”

“So you want to communicate with your aunt in Cape Coast through text message. You have a problem with communication. MTN has solved the problem. Now, with your phone, you can send the message to your aunt, but you will have to pay for the text message. MTN has solved the problem and has taken money from you, so basically, that is entrepreneurship,” he explained.

Pastor Hagan observed that many Africans complain about lots of issues without necessarily offering solutions to the things they complain about.

He encouraged them, however, to quit complaining and turn such complaints into solutions that they might be paid for.

The minister told the student audience that even while they walk around, they should be looking out for problems in people’s lives and societies that they can offer solutions to and get them to pay for the service offered.

Citing the biblical account of David and Goliath, he said King David made a lot of money when he killed Goliath, the champion of the Philistines, who had defied the Lord’s people with his words that there was no one in Israel who could beat him.

He explained that when Goliath went about making noise about his supremacy and killing those who had come for battle, David had come to deliver some food to his brothers and check on their progress.

“When he heard the Philistines say those words about Goliath, he immediately asked what would be given to the one who was able to fight Goliath. He was told that person would marry the king’s daughter, so David said he could fight and overcome Goliath, which he eventually did.”

Based on the above, the Man of God asked the pupils to always first find out how much value they would add if they were to offer a service.

Pastor Hagan also advised students who are very vocal in class to consider reading journalism at the Ghana Institute of Journalism or the University of Ghana Communications School, where they can become journalists.

He warned stronger boys who could not go about punching their colleagues in class but rather showed their strength in the boxing ring, where they could make money.

Led by Angela Okai-Nartey, the Ladies Network for Economic Freedom is a non-governmental organisation that aims at advocating and advancing activities that promote economic freedom, individual liberty, and entrepreneurship for the development of a prosperous society in Ghana.