KNUST Nkabom Collaborative Rolls Out Community-Based Entrepreneurship Training in AAK District
The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Nutrition and Sustainable Agrifood Collaborative, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation under the Nkabom Project, has launched a Community-Based Entrepreneurship Training (CBET) in the Abura Asebu Kwamankese (AAK) District of the Central Region.
The programme is designed to equip 30 participants with practical entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship skills to start and scale sustainable ventures in the agri-food sector.
Speaking at the launch, Samuel Kweku Nyarko Arhinful, Programme Associate of the Nkabom Collaborative, explained that the training was tailored to community members, particularly unemployed youth, who already possess basic skills that can be transformed into viable businesses.
“Most community members are into some sort of food processing such as sobolo, pastries or even farming, but they are doing it just for daily sustenance. We are here to help them hone those skills, think like business owners, and build something they can live on and pass to the next generation,” he said.
Facilitator Dr. Isaac Tweneboah Koduah noted that participants, many of whom are engaged in agriculture, would be guided to commercialise their ideas along the entire agri-food value chain, from inputs to consumer markets.
“The goal is to help them stop thinking only in terms of finding jobs and start designing solutions and value propositions people will pay for. By the end, each participant should understand their problem-solution fit, target market, competitive advantage, and the sales pathways to make money and grow,” he said.
He further indicated that participants would be introduced to the Nkabom Hybrid Business Model Canvas, which helps entrepreneurs design business plans that capture their identified problem, solution, target customers, and competitive advantage.
For her part, Mrs. Faustina Agyarko, District Agric Officer at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, commended the organisers, stressing that the programme responds to the practical needs of the district.
“If the youth are well equipped in agripreneurship, they can identify where to plug into the value chain production, aggregation, processing or marketing and apply a business mindset in establishing a venture,” she said.
Mrs. Agyarko added that beyond empowering young people with skills and knowledge, the initiative has the potential to create jobs, strengthen local agribusinesses, and improve linkages with farmers.
