Africa Health Collaborative (AHC) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi (KNUST), in partnership with the and the Mastercard Foundation, has concluded a 10-day Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop for tutors from health training institutions across Ghana under its Health Entrepreneurship Programme.
The workshop equipped health tutors with practical knowledge and skills in entrepreneurship, problem-solving and mindset transformation, preparing them to integrate entrepreneurship education into the training of future healthcare professionals.
Participants said the programme had transformed their understanding of entrepreneurship and would influence the way they teach students.
Mr. Samuel Twumasi, a senior tutor at the SDA College of Health, Barekese, said he arrived at the workshop with little knowledge of what to expect but left with a solid understanding of entrepreneurship.
"When I came, I had no concept or idea of what entrepreneurship really entailed. Over these 10 days, I have gained a clear understanding of entrepreneurship, and the training methodology was exceptional. It has equipped me with practical approaches that I will use when I return to train my students," he said.
Twumasi said the programme would help reshape students' perceptions of employment, particularly among nursing and midwifery trainees.
"Many nursing and midwifery students believe government employment is the only option after graduation. This training has changed that perspective. It will help us guide students to see entrepreneurship as a viable pathway to creating jobs, improving healthcare and employing others," he added.
Ms. Joanna Fereba Johnson, a quality assurance officer and tutor at the Accra School of Hygiene, said the workshop had been beneficial both personally and professionally.
She said the programme had broadened her understanding of entrepreneurship and would enable her to apply entrepreneurial principles in both her teaching and business activities.
"The active learning approach was highly interactive, and I intend to encourage my colleagues to adopt similar methods. Our students are highly engaged, and this approach will make learning more practical and impactful," she said.
Johnson said she would begin introducing entrepreneurial thinking to students from the start of their training.
"We want our students to understand that they should not depend solely on government employment. They should acquire the skills to create businesses, employ themselves and create opportunities for others. I will also work with facilitators and fellow tutors to help students identify scalable business opportunities within the healthcare sector," she said.
Deborah Addo, a tutor at the Nursing and Midwifery Training College (NMTC), Pantang, said the workshop had transformed her outlook on entrepreneurship and teaching.
"This programme has been very insightful and has completely changed my mindset about entrepreneurship. It has also changed how I intend to engage my students. My teaching will become more interactive, and I will encourage students to develop practical business models that can even be applied within student leadership structures to generate sustainable income," she said.
Closing the workshop, the Project Manager of the Africa Health Collaborative, Mrs. Eva Boakye-Yiadom, encouraged participants to sustain the enthusiasm they had developed during the training and inspire the next generation of health entrepreneurs.
"It has been an amazing 10-day journey, and it is evident that you have achieved what you came here to do. As you return to your institutions, I encourage you to keep the fire burning. Some of you will start your own businesses, while others will become entrepreneurial leaders within your organizations. You now have the tools to guide young people to think differently," she said.
Mrs. Boakye-Yiadom said she was encouraged by the positive feedback from participants and expressed confidence that tutors would successfully cascade the training in their respective institutions.
"I hope that by the time we return for the step-down sessions, your knowledge, skills and enthusiasm will have grown even stronger. We also hope to see more of your students applying for the seed fund when the opportunity opens," she added.
Story and Photos: Emmanuel Offei
