In a ceremony full of excitement and entrepreneurial spirit, Orange Corners Ghana, which is an initiative of the Netherlands, celebrated the graduation of 73 youth-led Businesses.
The Kingdom of the Netherlands, with support from Ghanaian Corporate Partners, continues to provide access to finance and business development support to Ghanaian youth-led businesses through the Orange Corners Ghana Initiative.
Celebrating the Achievements of Cohort 8 at the Event:
Orange Corners Ghana is a program that provides access to EUR 50,000.00 from the Orange Corners Innovation Fund for business growth. This Fund is managed by Fidelity Bank. The initiative aims to provide exceptional youth-led Businesses with the financial resources and elevated Entrepreneurial capacity necessary to scale their businesses and continue their path to success.
This was the Graduation event of the 8th Cohort of the Program since it begun in 2019. The event served as a platform to showcase the success stories of Cohort 8 participants, and Alumni. Inspiring testimonials from graduates highlighted the transformative impact of the program.
In all, 227 talented young entrepreneurs were supported, 55% of whom were women-led. 73 of these Businesses successfully graduated and proudly shared their experiences of acquiring valuable skills, building strong networks, and working to secure funding through the Orange Corners Innovation Fund. The ceremony was filled with a great sense of accomplishment.
Program partners (MDF West Africa, Fidelity Bank, VivoEnergy, Koudijs, People's Pension Trust, MPS Tema Port, Friesland Campina, and Cargill Ghana) and guest speakers commended Orange Corners Ghana's dedication to fostering entrepreneurial talent in Ghana. They emphasized the program's important role in driving economic development and fostering the growth of innovative Ghanaian businesses.
A Day of Reflection and Recognition
The Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Ghana, H.E. Mr. Jeroen Verheul, extended warm congratulations to the Cohort 8 graduates during the ceremony. He acknowledged their perseverance and the successful completion of the program. Ambassador Verheul also took a moment to recognize the remarkable achievements of the Orange Corners Ghana Acceleration Program itself. He expressed his gratitude to the program's partners, highlighting their continued support as crucial to the program's success. The Ambassador emphasized the transformative power of Orange Corners Ghana. Through its multifaceted approach of mentorship, workshops, networking opportunities, and access to finance, the program equips young entrepreneurs with the tools and resilience needed to not only navigate challenges but also emerge as trailblazers and change-makers in the irrespective industries.
A Look Back: A Journey of Growth
Mr. Richard Yeboah, Director - MDF Global, took the opportunity to express his gratitude to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. He recounted the program's journey, which began in2019 with a pilot cohort of 30 companies. Since then, the program has provided support to over 800 aspiring entrepreneurs across Ghana. Mr. Yeboah highlighted the increasing number of applications received, which ultimately led to the program's expansion from Accra to Ho, Tamale, Kumasi and Takoradi. He also emphasized the program's unique focus on supporting companies through the formalization process, ensuring they operate within a sustainable framework. The decision to expand beyond Accra, as Mr. Yeboah pointed out, proved to be a success, fostering the growth of talented entrepreneurs across the country and ensuring a wider reach for Orange Corners Ghana's impactful offerings.
A New Chapter Begins: Orange Corners Ghana Welcomes Growth Africa
A pivotal announcement marked the ceremony. After five successful years of implementing the program in Ghana, MDF West Africa is handing over the reins to Growth Africa. This transition marks a new chapter for Orange Corners Ghana, ensuring the program's continued impact for the next five years.
Looking Forward to A New Cohort:
With enthusiasm, the ceremony announced the launch of a new Cohort and invited applications from Businesses in the Cocoa and Horticulture sectors looking to scale.
This signifies Orange Corners Ghana's commitment to empowering young Ghanaians. The program provides aspiring entrepreneurs with the tools, resources, and support system grow their businesses and scale their impact. With each new cohort, Orange Corners Ghana lays the foundation for a brighter future, filled with innovation and economic prosperity for Ghana.
Eligibility and Application:
Those driven to join the dynamic community of Orange Corners Ghana entrepreneurs are encouraged to visit the program's website at https://www.orangecorners.com/ or explore its social media pages.
About Orange Corners
Orange Corners (OC) aims to improve job prospects for youth between the ages of 18 and 35, in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. OC is a public-private initiative, active in 14 countries, with 17 hubs and counting. The programme strengthens ecosystems for youth entrepreneurship and youth employment. Furthermore, Orange Corners stimulates the entrepreneurial mindset of young people. It offers incubation, acceleration, access to finance, education and training, better policies and business challenges, with a strong involvement of the Embassies or Consulates General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and partners from the private sector. Herewith, Orange Corners actively contributes to creating sustainable and inclusive economic growth and decent work for all (SDG8).
Orange Corners is managed by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) at the request of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
About MDF West Africa
Operating from Ghana, Management for Development Foundation (MDF) West Africa Limited (MDF West Africa) serves global and local clients in any of the West African countries. With a core staff of 28 professionals, supported by a network of 25 associated trainers/consultants, MDF West Africa offers excellent knowledge of Ghana combined with international experience. MDF enables projects & programmes, professionals, organizations, partnerships & networks to achieve sustainable results and results that matter for a better world. MDF offers open-subscription training courses, tailor-made training and workshops and consultancy services in multiple sectors, including agriculture. MDF also provides support to organizations in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of projects and learning (MEL) processes. MDF West Africa is a fully owned local subsidiary of MDF Training& Consultancy BV that has been building the capacity of individuals, organizations, and networks since 1984 with the mission of ‘empowering people, creating impact’. As part of MDF’s efforts in private sector development, MDF has acquired the Inclusive Business Accelerator(IBA) Toolkit and set up the Inclusive Business Development and Advisory Hub. From this Hub, MDF has been training and supporting (agriculture) entrepreneurs to gain access to the African, Asian and European Markets and been supporting organizations to build capacity of start-ups, early stage and established businesses owned by youth, migrants, and women entrepreneurs. Our services ranges from ideation services, incubation acceleration programmes and proof-of-concept support, both technical and financial. We always combine business development support with capacity development, to make sure that individuals are empowered to implement the companies’ growth strategy. This capacity building can be on a personal or organizational level, so we develop tailor-made programmes. MDF has access to several online and digital platforms and apps, that support the company to provide blended service delivery.
