The Ghana-Oracle Digital Enterprise Program (GODEP) has visited the Ashanti region as part of its nationwide tour to select startups from pitch competitions into a new program.

The collaboration between Oracle Systems and government aimed at developing 500 digital startups in the country involves a nationwide tour to select startups.

During the Ashanti regional pitch event which was held at the Golden Tulip Kumasi City Hotel recently, the team met with the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II with the Manwerehene Baafour Ossei Hyeamann Brantuo VI in attendance.

The GODEP team led by Oracle Country Director, Franklin Asare, who paid a courtesy call on Asantehene. 

He congratulated the Asantehene for his sterling leadership over the past two decades in promoting technological developmental changes in the region and across the country.

Mr Asare highlighted the GODEP roadmap and showcased some of the bright startups from the region who have been selected onto the program.

Dr Prince Kofi Kludjeson who was a judge at the selection event observed that he was impressed by the innovative talents within the region that need support and promotion to scale up and elevate their businesses to global levels.

In attendance was representation from the Vice President’s office, Accra Digital Centre - the implementation unit of GODEP under the Ministry of Communications; a team of Oracle Partners including Provision’s CEO, Yaw Asamoa and mentors led by Dr Kofi Kludjeson of Kludjeson International.

Representing the Vice President’s Office, Dr Samuel Frimpong also pledged government’s support harnessing the talents to enable the government’s goal of digitizing the economy.

Receiving the delegation, the Asantehene, Otumfuor Osei-Tutu II used the occasion to thank the GODEP team and pledged his unflinching support to make GODEP a successful initiative in Asanteman. He said he was impressed with the program and the progress made and charged the young startups to keep dreaming and bring their ideas out to tackle local problems and become world leaders. He promised his support and the whole of Asanteman to ensure that the ingenuity shown by the young digital entrepreneurs flourishes. He also thanked the government for the initiative, Oracle for supporting government to put this together and the Minister of Communications for her consistent drive and zeal to make this happen. On behalf of the team, Mr Asare thanked the Asantehene for the warm reception, gracious hospitality extended to the team, his profound words of wisdom and his commitment to making GODEP and Asanteman a global technological pacesetter.

As part of the delegation, three tech startups selected during the Kumasi pitch event showcased their products and businesses to Otumfour.