By Benjamin A. Commey
Accra, March 26, GNA – Mrs Bernice Foster, Founder of B. Manna Foods Limited, says her company, established during the COVID‑19 pandemic, has grown into an exporter of Ghanaian food products.
She told the Ghana News Agency that the enterprise, which began in 2020 from her kitchen in Kasoa, now processes cassava, plantain, yam and cereals into flour products and supplies both local and international markets.
“It was tough at the beginning. I started with support from family and friends, small grants, and a lot of persistence,” she recalled.
The company has expanded from three workers to about 15 staff, including a food scientist.
A major boost came through the Post‑COVID‑19 Skills Development and Productivity Enhancement Project (PSDPEP), a government initiative funded by the African Development Bank Group.
Implemented through agencies including the Social Investment Fund, the project provides financing, training and operational support to MSMEs affected by the pandemic.
Mrs Foster said access to about GH¢300,000 under the programme enabled the company to expand infrastructure, acquire machinery and recruit skilled personnel.
“The funding helped us move from a small room into a proper facility, improve production, and even start exporting,” she said.
B. Manna Foods currently exports to the United Kingdom through an intermediary logistics firm and supplies local retail outlets.
Mrs Foster has also established the “Made in Ghana Marketplace” to provide free shelf space for startups.
“We don’t charge them anything. We want to bridge the gap in market access because I experienced that struggle myself,” she explained.
Mrs Foster called for government support, including tax reliefs, simplified business registration and reduced utility tariffs, to lower the cost of doing business.
She advised young entrepreneurs to remain persistent and continuously improve their products.
Mrs Foster further urged institutions responsible for trade facilitation under AfCFTA to streamline certification, documentation and regulatory procedures to ease cross‑border trade for SMEs.
“We need systems that truly work for small businesses. That is how we can fully benefit from regional trade,” she stressed.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey