By Florence Afriyie Mensah
Akyawkrom (Ash), Aug 28, GNA – Recycle Up! Ghana (RUG), a non-profit entity empowering young people to create innovative solutions for climate change mitigation and adaptation, has organised a demonstration day (Demo Day) for its Cohort Six business startups.
The programme afforded several businesses that have gone through several months of intensive incubation under the RUG’s supervision spanning training, coaching, and developing minimum viable products to present their pitches of products that provided solutions to communities, while protecting the environment.
After the pitches, three companies were awarded grants to support and expand their businesses.
The companies are Jostimo Group, an agribusiness, food and industrial solutions company based in Tamale, Ellorra Cosmetics, an eco-friendly green-beauty start up in Kumasi and Ecofurn, a company which repurposes rice husks, groundnut husks and plastic waste into durable, insect-resistant and eco-friendly school desks.
Ms. Gertrude Mawuena Goh, Director of Operations, RUG, speaking at the Incubation Demo Day for Cohort six at Akyawkrom, in the Ashanti region noted that, sustainable development was the framework that drove economic growth, advances social justice, and safeguarded the environment.
For businesses in Ghana, she added, this vision translated to growth that was profitable, yet, also just, responsible, and resilient.
Driven by innovation and supported by the right policies and partnerships, enterprises, both young and established, can thrive while strengthening our communities and safeguarding the environment.
Ms. Goh indicated that, it was why RUG remained committed to empowering entrepreneurs and their innovations for sustainable business growth, and ultimately, a sustainable future for all.
She said: “For business growth to be truly sustainable, innovation must be empowered with the right support.
“Only then can businesses become catalysts of sustainable development.
“Let us be clear that having an innovative idea does not automatically translate into meaningful impact”.
Ms. rallied for more support for young startups while advising entrepreneurs to face hurdles in the entrepreneurial journey right from accessing finance to building the right teams.
Alhaji Moro Gausu, the Ashanti Regional Director of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), entreated young businesses to register with the “Adwumawura Programme” to be able to access more funding for expansion and business stability.
Mr. Mensah Abokyi, a Relationship Manager, Absa Bank Ghana, taking businesses through financing opportunities for startups emphasized the need for integrity, knowledge and strong relations.
These, he explained, were strategies to build credible financial tides and make businesses stronger.
The Demo Day was themed “Empowering Innovation for Sustainable Business Growth”.
GNA
Edited by Kwabia Owusu-Mensah/Benjamin Mensah
Reporter: Florence Afriyie Mensah
Reporter’s email address: [email protected]