Orange Corners  celebrates 9th cohort with Gazelle Pitch, graduation day

0

The Orange Corners Ghana Programme, implemented by GrowthAfrica, has held its Gazelle Pitch and Graduation Day at the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Accra.

This year’s pitch day marked the conclusion of a successful six-month business acceleration programme for the 9th cohort of the Orange Corners initiative in Ghana.

Speaking on behalf of the Netherlands Ambassador to Ghana in his welcome remarks, Mr. Bram E. van Opijnen, First Secretary expressed the Embassy’s satisfaction with the achievements of the Orange Corners programme and its intensive acceleration process designed to support and develop entrepreneurship in Ghana.



Highlighting the importance of such initiatives, he stated: “The Orange Corners Ghana programme truly exemplifies the power of partnerships in driving economic development. By equipping young entrepreneurs with mentorship, funding, resources, and market access, we are investing in a sustainable and inclusive future for Ghana.”

He commended the graduating cohort for their innovative contributions to the Ghanaian market and reaffirmed the Royal Netherlands Embassy’s commitment to strengthening Ghana’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, particularly for entrepreneurs in the cocoa and horticulture sectors.

Distinguished guests at the event included representatives from Fidelity Bank Ghana, fund managers of the Orange Corners Innovation Fund, FrieslandCampina Ghana (an Orange Corners Ghana private partner), and ecosystem partners such as Black Star Advisory, Fincap Securities, and the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

The event, which combined pitching sessions and graduation, saw 15 entrepreneurs presenting their business ideas to a panel of distinguished investors and partners. These presentations showcased innovative solutions across diverse sectors, including technology, green mobility, sustainable agriculture, and inclusive fashion, reflecting the transformative potential of Ghana’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Eugene Eluerkeh, Programme Manager for the Orange Corners Ghana programme, explained that GrowthAfrica’s mission as a growth partner—dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs, growing ambitious and scalable African ventures and SMEs into successful enterprises through business acceleration, strategic advice, and access to investments—aligns well with the purpose of the Orange Corners Programme.

He noted: “Our mission is to catalyse the growth of high-impact entrepreneurs. We are  honoured to support their journey through this programme and look forward to witnessing their contributions to Ghana’s economy.”

Programme Manager for Sustainable Finance at Fidelity Bank, Maxwell Dawson,  expressed the bank’s enthusiasm for the initiative.

“Fidelity Bank Ghana is proud to support this initiative as part of our continued commitment to empowering young entrepreneurs. We are committed to contributing to  vibrant ecosystem and look forward to seeing how these entrepreneurs will contribute to the growth and development of Ghana’s economy,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of the private partners, Amma Yirenkyi, Head of Media, Sub-Saharan Africa at FrieslandCampina, congratulated the entrepreneurs and reaffirmed the private partners’ commitment to supporting the Orange Corners Ghana Programme.

Representing the evaluation panel, Joe Appiah, encouraged the entrepreneurs to focus on sustainable value creation, ensuring that stakeholders across the entrepreneurship value chain receive meaningful returns on their investments.

The Orange Corners Programme is an initiative of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency, at the request of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to support young and ambitious entrepreneurs in growing their businesses. It is implemented in Ghana through the collaboration of private partners, GrowthAfrica and the Orange Corners Innovation Fund.

Leave a Reply