Three young innovators have been awarded grants at the Youth Innovation Circles (YIC) Pitch & Demo Day held on Wednesday, December 11, 2024, at the Golden Bean Hotel in Kumasi.
Chosen for their creativity and entrepreneurial drive, the 12 contestants had five minutes each to pitch their ideas. This session not only assessed their presentation abilities but also allowed these emerging entrepreneurs to showcase their potential while receiving valuable feedback to help refine and enhance their ventures.
Out of the 12 contestants, three were selected for their outstanding ideas and awarded grants totalling GHC22,000. The winners were:
- Joshua of Aboboyaa Electric Tricycle (1st place) – GHC10,000
- Emmanuel of Deyoke Foods (2nd place) – GHC7,000
- Louisa of L&L Organic (3rd place) – GHC5,000
The event highlighted the importance of nurturing young innovators and emphasized the value of creativity and persistence in solving problems.
Addressing the contestants, Mr. Gideon Brefo, Chief Executive Officer of hapaSpace, gave an overview of the Youth Innovation Circles (YIC) Programme and its impact. He highlighted the need for young innovators to create employment opportunities for others and not just themselves.
Also present was Allen Anie, PhD, Chief Technical Adviser & Head of Experimentation, United Nations Development Programme, Ghana who spoke on fostering innovation and job creation through atypical innovators.
Other speakers including Mr Albert Fritzel Abban (Pan African Savings & Loans – Ecobank) and Mr Daniel Tetteh-Wayo from GCB outlined the various opportunities available to MSMEs with their respective financial institutions.
The YIC Pitch & Demo Day was organized by hapaSpace in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation and UNDP Ghana, as part of the Young Africa Innovates initiative (YAI).
The YAI is a groundbreaking programme dedicated to supporting young innovative Ghanaians who have the potential to drive positive change across the country. The programme is part of UNDP Ghana’s efforts to discover and support innovative solutions, products, and services that have the potential to transform communities and improve lives.
Photo credit: Majesty Photo Studio
