By Benjamin Alkoto, GNA
Dumasua, (Bono), June 19, GNA-The WAN-Hive Ghana, a Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) has supported 50 entrepreneurs to register their businesses, Miss Janat Issifu, the Chief Executive Officer has said.
She said the NGO provided the support through its ‘Obaasima business challenge’, explaining that the challenge aimed at empowering women entrepreneurs to improve their businesses.
Ms Issifu said that the ‘Obaasima challenge’ remained one of the most successful business incubation programmes, explaining that the programme had been running consistently for six years.
She spoke to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Dumasua in the Sunyani West Municipality of the Bono Region, saying that the challenge provided women entrepreneurs free innovative business ideas.
It also offered them the opportunity to pitch for support and develop sustainable enterprises, saying that presently the NGO was the sixth cohort of the programme, saying that participation in the incubation programme was free of charge.
The programme is designed to empower women entrepreneurs with the requisite skills and knowledge for them to establish and grow successful businesses.
“We take participants through a series of capacity-building training sessions and those who come out with innovative business ideas undergo a design-thinking process to assess the feasibility and viability of their ideas”, Ms Issifu explained.
She said the feasibility studies also sought to determine whether the market would accept their products or services.
“The participants are subsequently paired with experienced mentors drawn from diverse sectors of technology, fashion, agribusiness and the creative arts”, she stated.
Ms Issifu said beneficiaries were guided on financial management, customer relations, business development, investor readiness, business planning, pitch preparation and the effective use of digital tools to promote businesses.
On completion, she added that the participants were given the opportunity to compete for funding through business pitching challenges.
An annual pitching ceremony is organised accordingly where participants present their business ideas, after which the best three are selected as winners.
She said that a “CEO Special Award” is introduced to recognize an additional outstanding innovation that might not fall within the top three.
Ms Issifu said instead of providing cash grants, the NGO supported the winners with business tools and equipment tailored to their operational needs.
She said the NGO was also undertaking a ‘Women in Business Acceleration’ programme which supported the women entrepreneurs after the incubation by helping them to scale their businesses, access ready markets and connect them with potential investors.
“At that stage, the focus is on creating market traction and increasing customer reach and we connect participants with mentors and coaches who guide them through business growth strategies”, she stated.
Ms Issifu said as part of the acceleration programme, the NGO funded product testing exercises, thereby enabling entrepreneurs to introduce their products and services to potential customers and receive feedback for improvement.
“The NGO also assists beneficiaries in formalizing their businesses by facilitating registration with the Office of the Registrar of Companies (ORC), the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and where necessary, the Ghana Standards Authority”.
Ms Issifu said many of the participants also receive assistance to complete the necessary legal and regulatory processes in business registration, especially those engaged in food processing and agribusiness, where FDA approval was required.
GNA
Edited by Dennis Peprah/Kenneth Odeng Adade
18 June 2026
Reporter :Benjamin Akoto
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