WIDU.Africa has in partnership with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) awarded 15 Ghanaian entrepreneurs for growing sustainable businesses and creating employment opportunities.
The award scheme is part of WIDU.Africa’s ‘Employment Development in Africa with the Diaspora’ project, an initiative supporting entrepreneurs in six African countries, including Ghana, with funding and business coaching.
The 1st, 2nd and 3rd places received amounts of GHȼ15,000, GHȼ10,000 and GHȼ5,000 respectively.
Speaking during the awards ceremony in Accra, Regina Bauerochse Barbosa, Country Director for GIZ Ghana, emphasised the importance of small businesses in the country’s economy, as they contribute significantly to job creation.
According to a World Bank report, nearly 98 percent of individuals entering the labour market in the country seek employment in micro and small enterprises, underscoring the crucial role played by these businesses and entrepreneurs in supporting both their local communities and the Ghanaian diaspora, she said.
“When we talk about sustainable economic development and employment in the Ghanaian context, we must recognise the crucial role that small businesses play as the backbone of Ghana’s economy. They contribute a large proportion of jobs created in the country,” she added.
On his part, German Ambassador to Ghana, Daniel Krull, expressed the embassy’s commitment to supporting Ghana by offering seed-capital to create sustainable jobs in the country – fostering economic growth in the process.
“It’s about Ghanaians investing in their own country, and that is what we want to encourage and bring investment capital to Ghana and help create sustainable jobs for people and families in this country,” he stated.
The award-winner from the Fabulous Women Network, in an interview, thanked WIDU.Africa, GIZ and the German government for the recognition. “This will help boost our businesses, especially at a time when they are investing significant funds into it.”
About WIDU.Africa
WIDU.Africa provides grants in connection with existing flows of money from private individuals within the African diaspora in Germany, France, Belgium, Denmark, Austria, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and Sweden. The project redirects these flows of money into long-term investments in the businesses of relatives or friends in Africa. The central tool for the project is the online platform WIDU.africa. The platform allows members of the African diaspora in 7 European countries, together with friends and relatives living in the 6 participating African countries, to apply for funding for their business ideas.
About GIZ
GIZ is a provider of international cooperation services for sustainable development and international education work, and is also dedicated to building a future worth living around the world. Currently, GIZ promotes sustainable development in Ghana via about 50 programmes and projects. GIZ’s activities currently cover three priority areas: energy and climate just transition; sustainable economic development and employment; and peaceful and inclusive societies.
