The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi (KNUST) has trained 63 participants in Sekondi in the Western Region to help them develop and grow businesses in the agrifood sector.

The 10-day programme marked the second cohort of the Community-Based Entrepreneurship Training (CBET), organised by KNUST’s Nutrition and Sustainable Agri-food Collaborative in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation under the Nkabom Collaborative.

The training covered entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship, with practical sessions on identifying problems, developing solutions and turning business ideas into potential income-generating ventures.

Participant Lilian Efua Quayle said the programme helped her understand the distinction between entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship and the importance of identifying problems before developing solutions.

“The training has helped me in a way to identify a problem, and find a solution and make money out of it as an entrepreneur,” she said.

Quayle and her group developed a business concept called Coco Champ, which proposes producing coconut water for children in environmentally friendly packaging, without added sugar or preservatives.

Another participant, Ibrahim Mahama, said the training strengthened his critical-thinking and problem-solving skills and introduced him to budgeting, strategic planning and break-even analysis.

“Through the 10 days that I've passed through now, any minute I am just thinking out loud finding problems around me and trying solve them,” he said.

Concerned about plastic waste and its contribution to flooding, Mahama proposed using cocoa pods to produce biodegradable food containers as an alternative to conventional plastic packaging.

Sherifatu Iddrisu said the training broadened her understanding of business ownership structures, branding and product development.

She and her group developed a business concept for a natural fish supplement using ingredients such as hibiscus flowers, ginger, guava and moringa leaves.

Story: Michael Kwawu