The association trained 29 teachers from 14 districts
The Ghana National Association of Teachers(GNAT), Northern region has successfully trained young teachers in the region in Entrepreneurship and Business Management.
The training was held at GNAT Hall in Tamale, the Northern Region of Ghana with the aim of equipping young enterprising teachers with the requisite skills to start their own businesses or manage existing ones'.The training also falls in-line with the GNAT Youth Policy.
The one-day Business Management training under the auspices of Northern Regional GNAT Youth Desk, saw 14 GNAT Districts across the region with a total of 29 participants undergoing the training.
Speaker upon speaker, the young teachers were advised to plan today and live a life beyond retirement.Participants were also taken through how to start, sustain and run an entrepreneurial business.
The Deputy Regional manager, National Board for Small Scale Industries(NBSSI), Mr.Mohammed in a presentation reiterated the fact that there were many opportunities for young teachers to start and manage their own businesses. What the teachers needed to do was to prepare a comprehensive business plan and seek for the right funding.
He mentioned specifically of sources of business financing such as Rural Enterprise Programme(REP), Angel Investors,Virgin Capital, NBSSI, MASLOC,National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Fund (NEIF), Skills Development Fund (SDF),MTN Group Venture Incubation Programme,African Women Development Fund for Social entrepreneurship inter alia as opportunities opened for young teachers with business ideas.
Depending on only one stream of capital(salary) to him is dangerous in this era of heightened entrepreneurship and globalisation.Young teachers must endeavour not to die with those rich business ideas.
Mr.Charles Atiah, the CEO of the award-winning Dream Consult and Suppliers in a presentation on Entrepreneurship and Business Management advised the youth in the teaching fraternity to have a vision, never ever think small, ignore the naysayers, work hard and give back.
These he said were the five rules that made Arnold Schwarzenegger's who he is today.
Starting a business according to him is like going into labour:"Don't wait till old age when you don't have energy to push.Give the business the time a nursing mother gives to her baby," he added.
He advised young teachers against bloating their payslips with unnecessary and unproductive loans.
The regional GNAT chairman, regional GNAT Secretary, regional youth coordinator and 14 District youth coordinators were some of the GNAT officers present for the training.
