The Netherlands embassy through the Ghana Netherlands Business and Culture Council has announced winners for this year’s New Business Challenge Awards. The challenge, which saw some entrepreneurs pitch solutions to major issues of sanitation, agriculture financing among others was aimed at increasing entrepreneur skills for students across the country. Speaking at the event, Deputy Dutch Ambassador to Ghana, Katja Lasseur expressed confidence in boosting Ghana’s entrepreneurial drive. “We are very interested in the interest of entrepreneurs. The New Business Challenge is to train student entrepreneurs with the needed skills to venture the world market. Other business programs by the GNBCC also further deepen our interest in entrepreneurship”. Entrepreneurs in Ghana have been tasked to adopt international modules in solving key challenges facing SMEs and the Ghanaian economy as a whole. Acting Chief Director for the Ministry of Business Development, Alhaji Hafiz outlined measures the government has adopted to improve the lot of entrepreneurs. “If you look at our various programs like the Nation Builders Corps or the National Youth In Entrepreneurship Program, you get to see that government is doing a lot to scale up interest in entrepreneurship. It is left to young persons to take advantage of these programs to expand and expose yourself to the needed skills available,” he stated At the end of the challenges, a group of ladies who proffered business solutions to Solidaridad emerged winners. The Ghana Netherlands Business and Culture Council (GNBCC) represents the business interests of both Ghanaian and Dutch companies and renders business development and support services to its members. The Netherlands is currently Ghana’s fifth-largest export destination, third-largest import partner and among its biggest investment partners.