SMEGA and MTN Join Forces to Relaunch SME-Ghana Awards After Pandemic Halt

Accra: Organisers of the SME Ghana Awards, SME GrowAfrica (SMEGA), in partnership with MTN Ghana, have relaunched the awards scheme to honour Ghana's most outstanding Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and individual entrepreneurs. The awards, originally established in 2013, were paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The relaunch, which took place on Thursday, July 10, marks a return after a five-year hiatus and aims to introduce dynamism and global competitiveness to the event.According to Ghana News Agency, the relaunch comes with the tagline 'Celebrating Ghana's SMEs' and the theme 'Sustaining Ghana's SMEs in a Globally Competitive Market,' signifying a new era of recognition, growth support, and celebration of innovation and impact among local businesses. Mr. Kwasi Ofori Jr., Executive Director of SME GrowAfrica, emphasized the organization's commitment to maintaining the principles of transparency, impartiality, and honesty associated with the awards. Nominations are now open and will close on August 15, followed by vetting and other processes leading up to the main awards night in 2026.A total of 18 awards categories will be presented, with 13 being competitive and five non-competitive, aimed at recognizing significant contributions. The categories include SME Best Overall Award, SME Woman Entrepreneur Award, Rising Star Award, SME Media Reportage Award, SME Digitalisation and Technology Adoption Award, High Impact Award, Industry Shapers Award, and Brand Discovery Award, among others.Awardees will benefit from various packages, including capacity building, where experts from the Netherlands will provide coaching for two weeks, and promotion of their businesses internationally. Additionally, they will have media engagement opportunities and access to the Indian investment market, along with a three-month MBA class covering corporate governance, legislation, marketing, and product branding to aid their growth.Mr. Ofori highlighted the partnership with MTN as a means to deepen progress and inv estment. He remarked that positioning the awardees correctly and equipping them with the right tools would provide them with invaluable benefits beyond financial incentives.Mr. Abubarkari Saddique Mohammed, Senior Manager of SMEs Sales at MTN, expressed MTN's support for SMEGA in mobilizing SMEs to advance their businesses. He stated that the support would focus on connectivity, as businesses thrive on it. MTN's 'Yellow Bees' solution offers four benefits, including a device with minimum data, a unified communication system, and website creation to ensure SMEs have a web presence.The partners for the 2025 SME Ghana Awards include MTN Ghana (Headline Sponsor), Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Ghana Enterprises Agency, Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, PUM Netherlands, Ephesus Business School, and World Association for Small and Medium Enterprises (WAS ME).