Kosmos Innovation Center (KIC), a leading non-profit organisation in the agribusiness sector, has received two awards at the just-ended Ghana Business Awards. The Ghana Business Awards event is organised every year to recognise and reward excellence across all sectors. It also recognises the contribution of various sector players toward developing enterprise and economic growth in the country.
KIC received an award for ‘Excellence in Innovation and Technology of the Year’, and another award as the ‘NGO of the Year’. Receiving the award on behalf of KIC, Kamil Nabong, Portfolio Manager at KIC, said: “We are proud of the recognition of our contribution toward developing and building the agricultural sector by focusing on innovation and youth entrepreneurship. The opportunities for creating employment for young people along the agricultural value chain are enormous; and at KIC, we take pride in building the capacity of young people, providing networking opportunities as well as seed funding to accelerate their start-ups and business”.
According to the World Bank, the agricultural economy employs 65–70 percent of Africa’s labour force, and typically accounts for 30–40 percent of GDP. Research has also shown that Africa’s economic growth is linked to its youthful populations. Creating new businesses and innovations to drive economic growth for young people through the agricultural sector is, therefore, critical toward realising the prosperity and growth not only in Ghana, but also on the continent.
In efforts to scale up and reach more young people, KIC continues to form partnerships toward the UN SDGs. Earlier this year, KIC announced the launch of a multi-year partnership with The Mastercard Foundation to train the next generation of young leaders and entrepreneurs in Ghana’s agriculture sector. Through the KIC and the Mastercard Foundation partnership, the AgriTech Challenge Classic expects to train about 4,880 young people across the partner universities in the next four years through collaboration with regional academic partners such as universities and technical schools.
Speaking about the impact of Kosmos Innovation Center, Mr. Benjamin Gyan-Kesse, Executive Director of Kosmos Innovation Center, said: “At Kosmos Innovation Center, we believe in powering innovation, transforming communities and impacting lives. KIC and its partners are supporting Ghana’s agricultural landscape and interrelated ecosystems by supporting young entrepreneurs as well as introducing young people to disruptive solutions, technology, innovative thinking and business creativity”.
“We dedicate these awards to all our entrepreneurs, start-ups, partners and collaborators,” he added.
KIC remains committed to focusing on empowering young men and women to drive innovation in agriculture – the country’s largest employer, and training them to lead sustainable, successful businesses. Since its inception, KIC has trained more than 1,300 young people with business skills and entrepreneurship through participation in workshops; and has nurtured some of the most promising youth-driven, agri-tech start-ups in Ghana today.
