KIC and The Mastercard Foundation – Young Africa Works Empower Young Women in Entrepreneurship Bootcamp in Tamale

The Future of Women entrepreneurs in AgriBusiness Given Priority, As KIC And Mastercard Foundation Train Young Women Agripreneurs in Tamale

To increase the participation of women in the Agri-MSME sector in Ghana, Kosmos Innovation Center (KIC) and Mastercard Foundation have organized an intensive Women’s Bootcamp, for young women in tertiary institutions within the northern belt of Ghana on 28th September 2022. Through the KIC Women’s Bootcamp funded by Mastercard Foundation, the women participants received training and mentorship on entrepreneurship and business development.

During the three-day Bootcamp, resource persons from the Agri-MSME sector provided training and encouraged knowledge sharing as well as networking among the over 70 participants. There was also capacity building for participants in Business Management, Marketing and Communication, Design Thinking, and Investor Readiness.

The training program exposed young people to understanding some of the existing gender barriers and norms, as well as explore the potential and prospects within the agricultural value chain by identifying gaps within the Agri-MSME sector and innovatively finding solutions to those challenges. At the end of the training program, participants are expected to be well-equipped to turn innovative ideas into business proposals and start-ups with the intention to scale up to attract potential investors. Ultimately, this will lead to job creation for young people, helping to reduce the unemployment rate in the country.

Speaking at the event, Executive Director of KIC Ghana, Benjamin Gyan-Kesse highlighted the strategic vision of KIC to empower young people to transform the agricultural sector through innovation and agri-tech, identifying opportunities along the supply chain. “We are thrilled to be able to bring together aspirational young women to interact with each other, improve their skills through training, and unlock their potential. This is why we exist as KIC. Our vision, together with our stakeholders, is to empower young people to feel equipped to establish themselves. In the next few years, we are hopeful that these young women will be able to create decent jobs for themselves and potentially employ their peers,” he said.

The Country Head at Mastercard Foundation in Ghana, Rosy Fynn, said: “Young women are the growth drivers for Ghana’s transformation and potential economic stability. Our vision as Mastercard Foundation is that, through such a partnership with KIC, more young women will be reached and empowered to pick up their mantles and start carving entrepreneurial and innovative paths for themselves to combat the huge deficit faced within the employment scene in Ghana.”

The Women’s Bootcamp in Tamale, representing the Northern sector, was the final one to be organized by KIC and the Mastercard Foundation this year. This follows a successful training of over 200 other aspiring young women entrepreneurs within the Agri-MSME sector in the Southern belt (Accra) and Middle belt (Kumasi). So far, participants from the previous training have acquired knowledge in business and innovation that they have gone ahead to implement in their respective start-ups.

The KIC Women’s Bootcamp is part of the capacity-building program under the KIC and Mastercard Foundation’s multi-year partnership to train the next generation of young leaders and agriculture entrepreneurs. Other key aspects of the partnership include the AgriTech Challenge Classic, AgriTech Challenge Pro, Incubation – the KIC Incubation, Business Booster, and the Blue Skies Foundation School Farm Competition.

At KIC, we are committed to increasing awareness of agricultural opportunities and the associated entrepreneurial benefits for the youth.

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