Fund to support graduates to start businesses

The Venture Capital Trust Fund has pledged to provide start-up capital to university graduates eager to operate their own businesses.

Mr Emmanuel Osei Akuamoah, Head of the Northern Zonal Office, said in line with this, it had decided to strengthen its co-operation with business schools of the various tertiary institutions.

That, he said, was the path to travel to develop and transform entrepreneurial ideas into vibrant business ventures.

He said the Fund, a financial and business development organisation, was determined to give the needed backing and encouragement to students to come out with innovative business ideas relevant to the job market.

Mr Akuamoah was addressing a media forum held in Kumasi to outline its business support programmes and planned projects to speed up the growth of the private sector.

He said the long-term agenda to partner the schools to set up incubation centres to nurture and promote business development.

He said the Fund would also focus efforts on helping to address the needs of small-scale and medium enterprises in the northern parts of the country, adding that the recent inauguration of an office in Kumasi was meant to do just that.

He said the project would boost soya and yellow maize production and that stakeholders in the value chain would receive technical and financial assistance to sustain and expand their activities.

This would cover seed germination, planting, marketing and aggregating farmers’ produce to enhance their export.

Mr Daniel Duku, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Fund, told the forum that it had been operating through institutional partnerships by means of joint venture arrangements to achieve set goals.

Its aim is to aid growth of businesses, create jobs and wealth to reduce poverty.