The Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation has officially launched the Ghana Mall, a vibrant marketplace for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to showcase their products and services.
The Mall will provide over 800 local entrepreneurs the visibility for their Made-in-Ghana products, demonstrating government’s support for initiatives that strengthen local businesses.
The Ghana Mall is the focal point of the BizBox Project, an initiative designed to support the development of 250,000 young entrepreneurs across the country.
Through this mall, the small businesses would gain access to a wider market, helping them increase
revenue while fostering valuable business-to-business (B2B) networking opportunities.
Mrs. Kosi Yankey-Ayeh, CEO of GEA, highlighted the agency’s dedication to SME growth, emphasizing the vision of creating a space where local SMEs can thrive, sell their products, and secure funding for sustainable growth.
She noted that their approach went
beyond funding and capacity-building, extending to critical market access.
‘Through strategic partnerships, including with the private sector, the Ghana Mall represents just the beginning of more opportunities to come,’ she said.
‘Our hope and our goal is to have it in every region where people, MSMEs, can bring their products, where we can engage as a hub and discuss issues that are important to the MSME sector, ‘ Mrs Yankey-Ayeh added.
She lauded the government and Mastercard Foundation for their unflinching commitment and dedication to supporting the MSMEs in the past years.
‘Today we are here to open this facility because we strongly believe that the backbone of this economy is MSMEs. And we have a lot in store for the MSMEs, not just MSMEs, women-led MSMEs, the youth of this nation, because we need you to succeed and thrive,’ she said.
Kofi Ahenkora Marfo, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, said Ghana needed micro, small and medium scale enterprises as they are going the backbone of the economy.
He expressed the hope that the Ghana Mall concept would be replicated in all the regions not only to showcase products but also enhance networking of MSMEs.
Mr Solomon Kotei Nikoi, Municipal Chief Executive of LaDMA, MCE Dade Kotopon, said the realization of a vision designed to foster the growth of small and medium enterprises, provide opportunities for
innovation, sustainability, and employment creation.
He said the project represented a commitment to empowering young Ghanaians through the BizBox programme.
‘This laudable project will serve as a hub for business and entrepreneurs to showcase their products and services while assessing resources to support their expansion,’ he said.
‘Today we celebrate a major milestone in that journey not only for the GEA but for the entire entrepreneur ecosystem of Ghana,’ he added.
Source: Ghana News Agency