- The Edugha Institute for Social Development & National Entrepreneurship Innovation Programme (NEIP) with funding from the World Bank through the Ministry of Finance on Tuesday 27th June2023 launched the Start-Up Acceleration Programme for the Northern Region of Ghana.
- This programme comes under the Hub Acceleration Grant Programme, of which EISD is a beneficiary.
- The launch took place in our workspace in Tamale, with various media houses and key individuals in attendance.
- The press release was delivered by the Deputy CEO of EISD, Mr. Bilal Taimako Shamsudeen, with Mr. Mahadi Alhassan (CEO of EISD) providing answers to ensuing questions from attendees. Ms. Sauda Belko delivered the introductory words to kick-start the event.
- Below are photos from the event and the full press release.
Press Release
Ladies and gentlemen of the press, officials from the NEIP, National Youth Authority, Assembly men and women, our partners Tradeline Consults, Banks present, Entrepreneurship Ecosystem stakeholders present, Colleagues from EISD, Ladies and Gentlemen, good morning and welcome to the Press Launch of the EISD-NEIP Start Up Acceleration Support Programme under the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme – NEIP Hubs Acceleration Grant Programme (HAGP), under Ghana Economic Transformation Project.
The Ghana Economic Transformation Project has four (4) components, and NEIP’s programmes fall under Component 3 of the project, of which EISD is a beneficiary of.
The component 3 supports entrepreneurship and SME growth in non-resource-based sectors, and it is aimed at addressing the limited development of the SME and entrepreneurship support ecosystem, including early-stage financing to promote and strengthen a growth model that is conducive to economic transformation, to achieve higher rates of investment and productivity growth across the economy, especially in non-resource-based sectors. The EISD-NEIP Start-Ups Acceleration Programme which we are launching now is a Programme designed to support the development of the entrepreneurship ecosystem by building the capacities of startups and existing businesses in the northern region to help their business ideas and services thrive. The Startups will be supported to see their business ideas become operational.
Our programme will see us group the various startups and businesses into three zones; the Bimbilla zone (which should take care of the Eastern corridor block including Yendi, Gusheigu, Karaga, Wulensi, Bimbilla, Kpandai, Chamba, etc); the Tolon Zone (which would include the Kumbungu, Nyankpala, Tolon, Savelugu environs) and the Sagnarigu zone (which would include Sagnarigu, Tamale and its immediate environs).
The Start-Up Acceleration Programme will competitively select a number of startups in these zones which will be provided with technical assistance, capacity building and financial assistance to accelerate their ideas and operationalize them.
With the Ghanaian start-up landscape seeing tremendous growth over the last decade, we cannot help but provide competitive, tailor-made solutions to startups in our catchment area. This is made possible by our collaboration with the Government of Ghana through the NEIP Hubs Acceleration Grant Program [HAGP]. With this, we are not only upgrading our Hub Space by increasing our seating capacity as a hub from 20 to 70 with the construction of 50-seater multipurpose Training and Conference Center, we are also upgrading our facilities. We are also better positioned to support more startups, as we are seeing with this Startup launch.
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
We are, by this launch, opening a call for Applications for the EISD-NEIP Start Up Acceleration Programme. This Call is opened to all Startups and businesses in the northern region. Prospective Applicants can go on our website, www.eisdgh.org from
Wednesday, 28th June 2023 to apply. The Application link for the call will also be available on all EISD Social media platforms.
The closing date for the Application will be Monday 10th July 2023.
The Startup Programme will be focused on ideas and businesses operating in the following sectors:
Agriculture, technology & innovation, Light manufacturing & processing, waste & green businesses, and technical and vocational ideas as well as any idea/innovation that is directed at improving the quality of life of our people. We encourage the active participation of women, youth and persons with disability in the grant programme.
The qualification criteria for applicants are as follows:
- Ownership must be 100% Ghanaian.
- Startups should be in the northern region.
- Must be ready and willing to undergo rigorous training schedules and other activities of the programme.
PROCESS FLOW FOR GRANT PROGRAMME:
- We will start with the Call for Applications
- Screening of applications
- Conduct Due Diligence
- The committee reviews, evaluates and approves, defer or decline applicants’ request using the established eligibility and selection criteria.
- Organize zonal business pitches
- Screening to select finalists from all zones to enter the Accelerator
- Final pitching to select top startups.
- Disbursements and monitoring of funds based on agreed implementation plan with beneficiaries
- Provide one year of mentoring and coaching while undertaking periodic monitoring and audits to ensure compliance and use of funds for right purposes.
Acknowledgements:
- I’ll first thank the NEIP team, the World Bank, the team from the Ministry of Finance, the team from Delloitte for making this possible.
- Thanks to the project Team from EISD
- Thank our partners Tradeline Consults, North TV, among others.
- We would also want to thank all ecosystem players present, the media and everybody present.
Finally, we thank H.E the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, for his continuous support for the growth of Entrepreneurship Ecosystem, for his various interventions to ignite and unleash the innovative and entrepreneurial spirit of young people in a bid to mark conscious departure from job seeking to job creation and job ownership
With these said, I have the singular honour to formally declare the EISD-NEIP Startup Support Programme LAUNCHED.
Thank you very much for your attention.
Bilal Taimako Shamsudden
Photos
