Accra: Social Enterprises in Ghana have been encouraged to invest more in the packaging and branding of their products as they strive to compete on the international markets. They were also encouraged to improve on their product quality to meet both domestic and global interest and demands.
According to Ghana News Agency, this advice was highlighted at a day's learning and experience sharing forum on the Social Enterprise Accelerators (SEA) programme organized by the Densu Associates in partnership with the MasterCard Foundation in Accra. In her welcome address, Mrs. Dolores Dickson, the Executive Director of Densu Associates, commended MasterCard Foundation, social entrepreneurs, and other partners from key government ministries for their continuous partnership and support. She acknowledged their presence at the forum as a reflection of their shared commitment to advancing social innovation and enterprise in Ghana.
Mrs. Dickson stated that the forum marked a special moment as they reflected on the journey and impact of the Social Enterprise Accelerator pilot programme. Over the past months, the programme has supported a vibrant cohort of social entrepreneurs, each working tirelessly to create meaningful change in their communities. The gathering offered a unique opportunity to deepen understanding of what has worked, what has been learned, and what can be improved.
The Executive Director of Densu Associates outlined the three main objectives of the forum: to provide a platform for stakeholders to share their experiences, share key learnings about SEA, and explore avenues for collaboration and support to scale up the programme and build a more robust ecosystem for the growth of social enterprises in Ghana. She emphasized that by learning from each other, aligning efforts, and leveraging unique strengths, the impact of the programme can be amplified to support a new generation of change-makers.
Rica Rwigamba, Country Director of MasterCard Foundation, in a speech read for her by Madam Nafisatu Yussif, Lead Gender and Safeguarding, applauded Densu Associates for their initiative to support and empower young women and individual social enterprises to become change-makers. The Foundation, through its Young Africa Works strategy, aims to support three million young Ghanaians, especially women, to access dignified and fulfilling work by 2030, which has influenced MasterCard Foundation to support the SEA programme by Densu Associates.
Madam Philomena Norman, Acting Director for Women Entrepreneurship Development at the Ghana Enterprises Agency, urged the beneficiary social enterprises to consolidate their gains while the government and other stakeholders continue to create an enabling environment. Mr. Samuel Kaku, Principal Programme Officer at the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment, advised the youth against the abuse of drugs and alcoholism as the government introduces programmes to ensure the youth do not threaten the nation. He added that several thousands of unemployed youth would be trained through various youth-centred programmes of the government to become either employable or self-employed. Some of them would also be linked with MASLOC and other facilities for small loans to build their own businesses.
