Over 500 participants benefit from Mastercard-GEA BizBox project orientation in Ekumfi

The district-level orientation for the latest cohort of beneficiaries under the Mastercard Foundation Business in a Box (BizBox) project was held at Ekumfi in the Ekumfi District of the Central Region in June 2024.

The one-day programme, in partnership with the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA), was held at the premises of the District Assembly and brought together apprenticeship trainees and Skilled Crafts Persons (SCPs) under one roof to be oriented about, among other things, their respective roles under the programme.

The idea of the project is to boost entrepreneurship at the local level by guiding apprentices through the facilitation of their training and certification before aligning them with SCPs for on-the-job training.

Those who successfully go through the training are given other required skills and set up to start their businesses with a strong emphasis on post-training monitoring and evaluation through mentorship.

There were four levels of attendees comprising 28 women for the Microbusiness Acceleration (MBA) programme. 113 women and 70 men joined the Agricultural Agribusiness to Entrepreneurship (AA2E) programme, while 189 women and 25 men took the Apprenticeship to Entrepreneurship (A2E) programme.

47 women attendees and 35 men constituted the SCPs.

Miss Zrufao Iddrisu, the district coordinator of the BizBox project, delivered a presentation titled "Apprenticeship to Entrepreneurship (A2E) Programme," which touched on a number of areas spanning the role of GEA in facilitating the training as well as the roles and responsibilities and the rules and conduct expected of trainees and SCPs.

“Our job as facilitators of this project is cut out, and it is to shepherd participants through what is clearly spelled out as a structured process in the trainee-to-entrepreneur process spanning the next few months.

“This training is essentially to connect properly and efficiently the trainees to SCPs and to clarify the roles and responsibilities of all parties; while at it, to convey the benefits of the BizBox project skills training and also to generally provide some career guidance and counselling to trainees,” she stressed.

Other areas the presentation touched on were quality apprenticeship and workplace management, customer service, and a separate presentation on entrepreneurship specifically targeted at the SCPs.

Miss Iddrisu stressed that as part of the training processes and procedures, the orientation was the first step and would be followed by workplace (on-the-job) training, entrepreneurship training, mentoring, career guidance, and monitoring before trainees are given start-up kit support to start their businesses (i.e., job creation). “The final step would be assessment and graduation,” she added.

A number of the participants expressed their excitement for the opportunity, stressing that the programme as laid out was certain to be a game-changer in how they approach training and running their businesses.

The "Business in a Box" (BizBox) project in Ghana is a significant collaboration between the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) and the Mastercard Foundation. Launched with a budget of approximately USD 55 million, the initiative aims to empower 250,000 young Ghanaians, particularly targeting young women and persons with disabilities (PWDs).

Running until April 2027, BizBox focuses on holistic development by providing comprehensive training in life skills, technical expertise, entrepreneurship, and business development. It also aims to deliver start-up kits, market access, and regulatory support to young entrepreneurs. The project is expected to create job opportunities and foster business growth and scalability across diverse sectors such as agriculture, tourism, and the creative industry.

The programme is structured around five key components: Youth Skills Development, Access to Market, Access to Start-up Kits, Youth Social Networks, and Institutional Strengthening, Policy, and Regulatory Support. This initiative aligns with Ghana's government goal of generating one million jobs by 2025 and addressing youth unemployment challenges.