As the job struggle gets harder, entrepreneurship has become the new norm.
“Graduate and stay home while applying for work or get up and find something doing, find something you are passionate about, something missing in society and be your own boss…” it is not rare to hear this saying from motivational speakers propelling the youth to venture into the sphere.
These young, vibrant and hardworking Ghanaians discovered this early enough and are now employing others to join them.
That’s killing two birds with a stone; sorting yourself out job-wise and employing others who need a job.
Some of these entrepreneurs ‘doing magic’ have been compiled by www.ghanaweb.com:
A1 Bread
He rose to fame after a tweet by a celebrity, somewhat targeted at mocking a graduate who had ended up hawking bread on the streets of the capital.
Though he denied the ‘mocking’ element, John Dumelo’s tweet which said, ““Just saw a KNUST grad hawking in traffic…What went wrong?” got now CEO of A1 Bread, Godfred Obeng Boateng more exposed.
“I want to create businesses and motivate the young guys… I love brands, I’m a marketing guy and that’s what I want to do when I turn 45 or 60”, he stated when GhanaWeb.com sought his reaction to John Dumelo’s post.
Today, Godfred Obeng Boateng whose A1 Bakery, has been running for 8 years now has employed several other youth who vend about 60,000 loaves of bread in Kumasi and Accra on daily basis.
A1 Bread is common to see in almost every part of Accra and it’s all because one graduate who decided to start his business in school went all out to establish himself as an entrepreneur.
Wear Ghana
A Ghanaian fashion label founded in November 2013. Having begun with made-to-measure outfits for individuals on request, the team, Angorkor Nai-Kwade and Awura Abena Agyeman put ideas together and launched a full-scale business; a unique clothing line; Gigi.
Under the brand, WearGhana, they began sewing unisex outfits with a touch of African print, in different styles and for various occasions.
According to Awura Abena Agyeman, Co-Founder of WearGhana, what went into the Gigi design was to have a Ghanaian polo shirt that could be taken to every kind of event, be it parties, club, corporate meetings and could be worn by any and every body.
WearGhana has always sought to expand the frontiers of Ghanaian fashion. And this is another mighty leap forward, and in the right direction.
Better is the fact that they aren’t doing this all alone, they are doing it with a team of other vibrant youth whom they have recruited, thereby creating employment.
Doughman Foods
Young 30-year-old Francis Kofigah at age 27, saw an opportunity to make American-style doughnuts with a Ghanaian twist.
Inspired by his life-long disdain for vegetables, Kofigah didn’t fail to start a business, focusing on pastries.
He’d search for vegetable-free pastries anytime he went out for them and to make this more available for people like himself, he decided Dough Man Foods.
There are doughnuts with jam fillings, some are covered in chocolate and others have crushed groundnuts sprinkled on top.
With a core team, he set up Dough Man Foods and runs it from a small space in Dzorwulu. Alongside his chief operating officer, Karen Awo Mensah, Kofigah adds the toppings to the hundreds of doughnuts awaiting delivery through Accra.
Warm Their feet (WTF)
With a vision to propel change and inspire hope, the Warm Their Feet foundation has opened a showroom to sell shoes, get funds and put shoes on the feet of every deprived Ghanaian.
Owner, Noel Nutshugah says percentages from proceeds of sales go to lighten up the burden of walking barefoot to school, a phenomenon which is common in the deprived areas of Ghana.
With a team of equally vibrant youth, Warm Their Feet makes high-quality suede leather-made from the underside skin of exotic animals for all clients.
Noel is actually employing several youth with whom he is helping society.
Chaste Shoes
His decision didn’t go down well with his family, as they felt he should look for a ‘better’ job in the corporate world and not waste his time on making shoes. After selling his laptop as a student, he learnt how to make shoes from the internet, with YouTube and others.
What even worsened the situation for him was the fact that he was working from home, with his room filled with shoes. In fact, his bedroom was turned into a workshop. It was as if, from his family’s perspective, he was going crazy.
Daniel would not allow any obstacles to discourage him.
He launched the business and registered it with the name Chaste Shoes – a name he says stems from the quality and distinct nature of his products. Then, with the help of a friend, he got some money to rent a shop in Accra, which is the current location of his business.
He has currently provided employment for some youth and hopes to add more as the business expands.