Projects

I am supporting several projects to help improve, promote, and assess the impact of entrepreneurship education in both Ghana and Europe.

 The Rationale:

Individuals and groups of people living in poverty remain an important issue. Entrepreneurship education is providing students/learners with knowledge, skills and attitudes to create wealth for poverty reduction and self-employment. Instead of seeing people in poverty as a market for goods, the solution lies in understanding how to support individuals living in poverty create their own ventures. At the end of the day, entrepreneurship among people in poverty will create a lifelong solution to their poverty.

 Current projects

  1. Entrepreneurship Education and Training

Entrepreneurial training for teachers and education for teachers

Teachers play a critical role in entrepreneurship education. It is crucial that teachers are trained in right teaching methods, that they can enhance their knowledge and skills, and that they share best practices with colleagues across the nation and globally.

Actions to be taken:

  • Provide a guide for teachers with a selection of examples of inspiring practice in training and supporting teachers for entrepreneurship education.
  • The Young Entrepreneurship Development in Action Project.
  • Enabling teachers as a critical success factor.
  • http://ec.europa.eu/DocsRoom/documents/8565/attachments/1/translations
  • Establish a high-level reflection panel on Entrepreneurship Education to promote better cooperation and the exchange of practices among Higher Education Institutions on how to introduce systematic strategies in this area.

Entrepreneurship education and training in Vocational and Technical Institutions in Ghana.

Entrepreneurship in Primary and Secondary Education.

Study: Effects and impact of entrepreneurship programmes in Schools.

 2. Social entrepreneurship for social change

Social entrepreneurs are essential for solving Ghana’s social, environmental and economic challenges. “We need growth that is fairer, greener and anchored in local communities. A model that values social cohesion as a genuine source of collective wealth” (Strasbourg Declaration, 2014).

The goal is to empower future social entrepreneurs through an interdisciplinary, problem-based learning environment that enhances the innovative competencies necessary for addressing social, cultural and environmental challenges in Ghana.

The projects are as follows:

  • Identify and analyse a local challenge
  • Field research on social entrepreneurship cases
  • A business plan for a social enterprise

3. Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Development

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) represent over 85% of businesses and contribute about 70% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Ghana (International Trade Centre, 2016). Therefore, it is crucial to support their growth and innovation. Regarding formal sector employment, SMEs represent just over 50% of all fulltime employment, with the percentage likely much higher in the informal sector (International Trade Centre, 2016). However, one of the most important issues facing SMEs is their difficulty accessing finance. How can Government/others work to improve the financing environment for small businesses in Ghana?

Actions to be taken:

  • Provide practical information for SMEs looking for financing.
  • Encourage competitiveness of enterprises and Small and medium-sized enterprises. This will make it easier for SMEs to access loans and equity finance.
  • Good policy in areas such as venture capital, crowd funding, business angels and loans and guarantees.

Reference

International Trade Centre (2016). SME Competitiveness in Ghana: Alliances for Action. ITC, Geneva.

Networks

Association of Ghana Industries (AGI): http://www.agighana.org/

National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Plan (NEIP): http://neip.gov.gh/

University of Cape Coast, Centre for Entrepreneurship & Small Enterprise Development: https://cesed.ucc.edu.gh/

KNUST: School of Business – https://www.knust.edu.gh/academics/departments-programmes/departments

Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST): http://meltwater.org/