OVER 600 MSMEs in 13 DISTRICTS TO BE SUPPORTED TO FORMALIZE THEIR BUSINESSES

To support green businesses that are making products and offering services that make use of waste materials and promotes climate resilience, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation is partnering with the Ghana Chamber of Young Entrepreneurs (GCYE) to facilitate a series of business support clinics for Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) in the Ashanti, Northern and Western regions.

The partnership forms part of the Boosting Green Employment and Enterprises Opportunities in Ghana (GrEEn) Project that SNV Ghana has been implementing with funding from the European Union.

“SNV works at supporting and increasing the growth of early-stage and matured businesses at the local level in the Ashanti and Western regions where we are implementing the GrEEn Project. The objective of our collaboration with the Ghana Chamber of Young Entrepreneurs is to help micro and small businesses to strengthen their internal system as well as to meet regulatory requirements. This support will help participating micro and small businesses to fine-tune their businesses as well as access investments to scale up”, stated Enoch Cudjoe, Senior Skills Development Advisor at SNV Ghana.

According to the CEO of the Chamber, Mr. Sherif Ghali, the business support clinics are not the first of its collaboration with SNV Ghana.  “For months now, we have been working with SNV under its GrEEn Project to engage MSMEs and stakeholders in the Western, Ashanti and Northern regions on business regulatory issues, and in all these discussions one thing was imminent: MSMEs needed support and guidance to formalize their business.” stated Mr. Ghali

“For this reason, we are taking our intervention a step further by organizing these Business Clinics to provide business registration, product certification and standardization, general business advisory support, and access to financing opportunities for MSMEs to enhance their operations.” He added

During the Business Support Clinics, participants will get access to free business advice, mentoring and coaching, instant business registration, certification, and standardization, and financial services. They will also engage with and receive advice from reputable financial and regulatory institutions, as well as have the opportunity to network and share learnings with other businesses.

The clinics are scheduled to happen from 13th June to 15th July 2022 in 13 districts in the Ashanti, Northern and Western regions. In the Western region, they are scheduled to occur in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan (Takoradi), Ahanta West District (Agona Nkwanta), Nzema East Municipality (Axim), Jomoro Municipality (Half Asini), and Wassa Amenfi East (Wassa Akropong); In the Ashanti region: Kumasi Metropolitan (Kumasi), Ejura/Sekyedumase District (Ejura), Sekyere Kumawu District (Kumawu), Offinso North District (Akumadan), Offinso Municipality (Offinso), Adansi South District (New Edubiase) and Sekyere Afram Plains District (Drobonso) and finally the Tamale Metropolitan (Tamale) in the Northern region.

For MSMEs who want to take part in these clinics, they are requested to send an email to clinics@gcyegh.org or WhatsApp +233 55 956 7713,

About SNV and the GrEEn Project

SNV Netherlands Development Organisation is an international not-for-profit development organisation that makes a lasting difference in the lives of people living in poverty by helping them raise incomes and access basic services. SNV focuses on three sectors: agriculture, energy, and WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene).

SNV has been present in Ghana since 1992 and operates from its national office in Accra with project offices in the Western, Ashanti, Upper West and Northern regions.

The Boosting Green Employment and Enterprise Opportunities in Ghana (GrEEn) project is a four-year action from the European Union, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ghana, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) in partnership with the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development. The project aims at creating greater economic and employment opportunities for youth, women and returning migrants by promoting and supporting sustainable, green businesses in two selected regions in Ghana: Ashanti and Western. GrEEn is funded by the European Union Emergency Trust Fund (EUTF) for Africa with a total contribution of EUR 20,600,000.

About Ghana Chamber of Young Entrepreneurs

Ghana Chamber of Young Entrepreneurs (GCYE) Formerly Ghana’s Young Entrepreneurs (GYE) is a network of young Ghanaian business owners from all private enterprise sectors. As an advocacy group, GCYE was formed with the primary objective to unite, engage, and promote initiatives and innovations of young entrepreneurs to facilitate support in their pursuit of economic prosperity.

GCYE aims to drive trade, advocate for reforms, provide business support services with needed information on funding sources to facilitate access to credit, and improve the business eco-system to enhance entrepreneurship culture among young people in Ghana.

GCYE is duly registered with the Registrar Generals Department as a Non-Governmental Organization and the National Youth Authority (NYA) with a membership of 11200 across the nation. GCYE is an associate member of the Private Enterprise Federation (PEF) and Commonwealth Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs- Africa (CAYE Africa).

GCYE’s Work revolves around five thematic areas; Advocacy, Capacity Building and Mentorship, Investment and Capital Mobilization, Research, and Trade Facilitation. 

Notably among the chamber’s initiatives is the annual Young Entrepreneurs Summit and Expo, Youth Entrepreneurship Public-Private Dialogues, Youth Business Performance and Sustainability Index, Young Entrepreneurs and Start-ups Support Fund (YESS Fund), and a host of capacity-building workshops and seminars nationwide.