The National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), one of the government flagship programmes, has launched the maiden edition of its Innovation and Entrepreneurship Week. The NEIP is mandated to serve as a leading enabler for start-ups and innovations in Ghana.
Addressing the media at the press launch in Accra yesterday, the Chief Executive Officer of NEIP, Kofi Ofosu Nkansah, said the celebration would be a platform to bring together innovative ideas, and various opportunities that lie within their innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems.
“This will include many engaging programmes and initiatives designed to inspire, educate, and connect aspiring innovators and entrepreneurs with the resources they need to grow,” according to Mr. Nkansah.
He disclosed that his outfit had developed a five-year strategic plan, which outlined NEIP’s focus on being the enabler for innovation, start-ups, and entrepreneurship in Ghana.
“The innovation and start-up ecosystem is significantly different from the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) ecosystem, requiring a tailor-made framework to make meaningful impact in the Innovation Space,” Kofi Ofosu Nkansah stated.
He again indicated that throughout these celebrations, participants would have the chance to take part in interactive workshops, engaging panel discussions, and thought-provoking keynotes delivered by industry leaders and experts.
“They will get the opportunity to sharpen their skills, broaden their horizons, and gain valuable insights into various facets of Innovation and entrepreneurship.”
He stated that the programmes for the celebration would include Senior High School Innovation Challenge, which would bring together students from second cycle schools across Ghana to develop innovative solutions to real-world problems, enhancing their critical thinking abilities and nurturing their entrepreneurial mindset.
Also, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Symposium, Mr. Nkansah noted, would host stakeholders from academia, innovation space, investors, entrepreneurs and Policy makers and others from the innovation and Entrepreneurship ecosystem.
The CEO added that the Hackathon Competition, as part of the celebration, would be an event for participants to engage collaboratively, using technology over a short period of time to produce solutions for sector specific problemes.
He concluded by saying: “NEIP Innovation and Entrepreneurship Showcase: This will be a vibrant marketplace where Innovators and entrepreneurs can exhibit their innovative products and services.”
Background
The NEIP is the government’s special purpose vehicle for providing integrated National support for start-ups and small businesses. NEIP is mandated to serve as a leading enabler for start-ups and innovation in Ghana.
It provides direct and indirect funding support to third party institutions such as tech-hubs, incubators, accelerators, and other business development service providers, who provide business support for innovation-based start-ups.
