The Chief Executive Officer and founder of WAN-Hive Ghana Janat Issifu, has pledged her commitment to supporting young innovators and entrepreneurship to reduce unemployment.
The CEO for the non-governmental organization, based in Dumasua in Sunyani West of the Bono Region, organized a Youth Innovation Circles pitch and Demo Day in Sunyani on Tuesday for young entrepreneurs.
The event benefited hundred youth comprising of Persons With Disabilities, male and female entrepreneurs who received training and mentorship from Wan-Hive in crafts, soap-making, dressmaking, and beaded handcrafts.
Others showcased their products, including powdered pepper and cassava, processed and packaged locally for the market.
Through the pitch and Demo Day, innovators demonstrated their products, and the best performers received rewards ranging from GHs3,000 to GHs7,000 to invest in their businesses.
Mr. Kwame Kumi Acheaw, CEO of Joydelinkin Ventures, which transforms cassava into powdered products, emerged as the overall winner of the 2025 Wan-Hive Youth Innovation Circles, Pitch and Demo Day.
The program was supported and sponsored by HApaspace, UNDP, and Mastercard Foundation.
The young entrepreneurs received coaching and mentorship on financial discipline, innovation, and the importance of developing a savings habit from experts at Absa Bank, HApaspace, UNDP, and Mastercard Foundation.
Additionally, they were advised to add value to their products to enable them to compete effectively in the market.
In an exclusive interview, Janat Issifu, Chief Executive of WAN-Hive Ghana, stated that her organization is a female-focused innovation space dedicated to providing sustainable mentorship and education for young females to build careers in technology, entrepreneurship, and leadership.
According to Issifu, WAN-Hive Ghana’s core mandate is to discover, develop, and deploy women-led innovations in Ghana, strengthening their existence, business operations, and contributions to the digitalization and entrepreneurship ecosystem.
She told Kaakyire Kwasi Afari of Sunyani-based Ark fm that the Youth Innovation Circles pitch and Demo Day are part of WAN-Hive Ghana’s training for young CEOs, providing financial support to help them grow.
Issifu urged award winners to utilize the cash reward wisely, promising additional financial support if the initial investment yielded positive results.
A representative from HApaspace, Albert Opoku, stated that their partnership and sponsorship of WAN-Hive Ghana have enabled the training of over 200 youth in the Bono and Bono East Regions to become self-sufficient in their localities.
Albert Opoku acknowledged the importance of self-employment and emphasized that, as part of their corporate social responsibilities, they will partner with youth-oriented organizations to offer support.
Some youth innovators who won prizes during the Demo Day commended Wan-Hive Ghana for providing extensive training, expressing optimism about improving and increasing productivity.
They noted that inadequate capital had been a challenge, but the provided capital came at the right time.
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com/Kaakyire Kwasi Afari, Ark FM, Sunyani
