Entrepreneurship can provide the “greener pastures” sought by young people Africa-wide, all it takes is the right training, support and tools, according to northern Ghana-based hub Hopin Academy.
Launched in 2014, Hopin Academy offers incubation, skills training, mentoring and workspace – including access to laptops, and other equipment – for young entrepreneurs aged between 18 and 35 in the north Ghanaian city of Tamale.
The organisation is founded on the belief that entrepreneurial talent is not limited to capital cities; rather, there is a lot of talent and ability spread across African countries which just needs the right support and training to unlock its full potential.
“Hopin Academy was birthed from a humble beginning as an organisation geared toward training the youth to unlock their potential and utilise their circle of influence to achieve their goals. Hopin provides the platform, skills, tools and resources to make that possible. The ‘greener pastures’ sought by these youth is present in this region,” says Mubarak Sumaila, partnerships manager at Hopin Academy.
The incubation programme offered by Hopin features five weeks of training around topics such as self-discovery; idea generation; market and customer orientation; business modelling and revenue streams; and goal setting and action plans.
In addition, the organisation works to try and source funding for startups operating out of its space.
Hopin Academy has incubated 120 startups to date, 10 of which are currently based in the hub’s co-working space. However, Sumaila says it’s time to expand the hub’s activities to more young people, and as such the organisation is looking for new partners to help facilitate its growth.
“We are looking to magnify our impact and services especially in agribusiness and tech, so we are on the lookout for potential partnerships of mutual values, benefits and goals,” Sumaila says.
“We are always looking for new partnerships that offer innovative ways to bring opportunities to young people in northern Ghana.”
