Akufo-Addo Donates Most of His Salary to Young Entrepreneur

By Socrates Mbamalu

Ghana's President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo launched an entrepreneurial programme "Presidential Pitch" where young Ghanaians with business ideas but lack of capital could be supported through the Ministry of Business Development. Pres Akufo also gave nearly all his monthly salary to the winner of the competition.

Ghanaian President Nana Addo Akufo-Addo earns $6000 (GH?29,000) a month. He recently donated $5,000 (GH?25000) of his salary to an entrepreneur who won a business idea competition organized by the Ministry for Business Development. The competition tagged "Presidential Pitch" came with a cash prize of GH?50,000 from the Ministry for Business Development. The Ministry received 2,000 proposals after it advertised the competition on its website.

The Minister for Business Development, Hon. Ibrahim Awal got a team of experts who trimmed down the 2,000 proposals to 20 shortlisted proposals. Out of the shortlisted proposals, 11 to 20 of the applicants were given consolation prizes, while 1 to 10 were given GH?50,000 to GH?30,000.

The winner of the competition, 19-year-old Ayisha Limann got GH?50,000 plus the GH?25,000 given by President Akufo-Addo. The President, while delivering an address at the event said, "I hope the other contestants will excuse me if I single-out the youngest amongst you, the 19-year-old young lady from Gwollu in the West Sissala District, Vanessa Aisha Limann, for special attention, and a personal donation of GH?25,000 from me, in addition to the GH?50,000 the Ministry is to give her."

Ayisha completed high school last year, and was helping her mother market her products while also participating in trade fairs. It was during this period that she thought of a way to generate money, and came out with her own product after conducting some research on the internet, through her knowledge of cereals.

The Presidential Pitch is part of President Akufo-Addo's programs that aims to encourage Ghanaian youths to be more enterprising. During the launch Pres Akufo-Addo announced on his Facebook page, "I launched the "Presidential Pitch", a business ideas competition, aimed at realizing Government's ambition of helping to unleash an entrepreneurial revolution in the country. My confidence in the sheer energy and can-do spirit of the Ghanaian makes me believe that, in the contestants I met today, the future of the Ghanaian private sector is extremely promising."

A similar programme exists supported by the Tony Elumelu Foundation, though not restricted to Nigerians, but is open to the whole of Africa.

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