By Emelia Bramaa Addae
Somanya (E/R), Sept. 7, GNA – The University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD), Somanya, has organised its maiden Agri-Food System Business Fair and Student Networking Day to connect young innovators with business and industry opportunities.
The events, organised under the Nkabom Collaborative, aimed to help young people turn their ideas into prototypes, products and market-ready businesses.
The three-day Agri-Food System Business Fair was held in Somanya under the theme: “Harnessing Linkages in the Agro-processing, Aquaculture and Agribusiness Value Chains for Youth Enterprise Development in Ghana.”
It brought together young agro-food entrepreneurs, student innovators, farmer cooperatives and agribusiness stakeholders to showcase products, exchange ideas, and explore business opportunities.
The fair also gave students the opportunity to take their innovations beyond the classroom and present them to potential consumers, partners, and industry players.
Products exhibited include fruit juices, fresh mangoes, dried and packaged fruits, palm oil, oat mix, rice-mix porridge, cassava and konkonte flour, cocoa-ginger mix and pure honey.
Speaking at the event, Professor Richard Amfo-Otu, Agro-Waste Lead for the Nkabom Collaborative at UESD, said the initiative was creating opportunities for young innovators to turn their creativity and business ideas into enterprises that could create jobs and support sustainable development.
The Nkabom Collaborative is a partnership involving eight institutions in Ghana, McGill University in Canada and the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), with support from the Mastercard Foundation.
The Collaborative seeks to help create dignified and fulfilling jobs for 55,000 young Ghanaians, especially young women and vulnerable groups, through training and support in agro-waste management, aquaculture technology and small business development.
Prof Amfo-Otu said the fair gave participants the opportunity to sell their products, receive feedback, understand consumer preferences, and assess the market potential of their innovations.
Student prototypes displayed at the fair included Lanyo Herbal Tea, Awintema Golden Soup Powders, charcoal briquettes made from agricultural waste and an agri-food trade platform.
Ms Awintema Azong, a student participant, said her powdered soup product was inspired by the large quantities of agricultural produce lost after harvest.
She explained that farmers sometimes struggled to sell their produce, while consumers could not use all the available food, resulting in waste.
She said her innovation aimed to add value to agricultural produce while providing consumers with a convenient food product.
Ms Azong said the powdered soup could be used to prepare fish or meat by steaming the meat, adding the powder and allowing it to cook.
Exhibitors described the fair as successful and expressed the hope that future editions would attract more businesses, investors, industry players and consumers.
Visitors who patronised the products also commended UESD and the organisers for creating a platform for young entrepreneurs to showcase their innovations and interact directly with the public.
At the Nkabom Student Networking Day, Prof Amfo-Otu said the event brought together student entrepreneurs from five partner institutions: the University of Ghana, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ashesi University, UESD and Koforidua Technical University.
He said the networking event was designed to help students develop their ideas into prototypes and eventually turn them into marketable products.
Prof Amfo-Otu said the involvement of the Association of Ghana Industries was helping to link students with industry, while companies were being identified to mentor young entrepreneurs.
“The idea is to bridge the gap between academia and industry,” he said.
He stressed the importance of exposing students to practical business environments and experienced industry players.
Prof Amfo-Otu said the Nkabom Collaborative was also seeking to expand its engagement beyond companies associated with the AGI to involve more industry players.
He cited the collaboration between UESD and Golden Exotics Limited in compost production as an example of the type of partnership the University wanted to promote.
He said UESD had trained people in compost production, while Golden Exotics Limited, which operates a large-scale composting facility for agricultural waste, provided opportunities for practical training and industry exposure.
Participating student enterprises at the Networking Day included Eastside Sankofa Industries, winners of the maiden Nkabom Africa Case Competition 2026; Nsromah Industries from UESD; EcoBrix Solutions, which is exploring ways of converting waste into green energy; and Campus 360 Bread.
GNA
Editing by D. I. Laary/Kenneth Odeng Adade
Reporter: Emelia B. Addae
[email protected]