Social Enterprise Ghana, British Council, Multiplier Lab Programme and The Playground of the University of Arts, London have forged a collaboration to support the establishment of impact start-ups and small businesses in Ghana’s creative arts sector.

The three organizations have thus started the project with a five-day comprehensive training of trainers' workshop to build the capacity of leaders of their various hubs and partners across all the 16 regions of Ghana.

The hub leaders are expected to champion the cause at the local level in their respective regions by training unemployed graduates and vulnerable persons to develop employable and entrepreneurship skills in the creative sector of Ghana.

The Executive Director of Social Enterprise Ghana, Edwin Zu-Cudjoe said young unemployed graduates, physically challenged persons and other vulnerable persons will receive training as part of the project through the hubs to set up their own businesses in the creative arts sector and provide employment to other young people.

He further made a call on people already in the creative arts sector to increase investment in the sector and push for laws and policy that will help make it more viable and sustainable.

The Coordinator for Social Enterprises and Creative Sector at the British Council, Andrew Entsua-Mensah urged leaders of the various hubs to provide the necessary guidance to startups in the creative arts sector and also devise strategies that will strengthen such businesses within the social enterprise ecosystem.

He was hopeful that the 5-day capacity building programme will strengthen intermediaries in the
creative and cultural sector to be able to engage, connect and collaborate with their peers in other parts of West Africa and the UK to achieve great success.

According to Dr Marcus O'Dair, Associate Dean of Knowledge Exchange at The Playground (University of Arts, London). The creative industry contributes about £115.9 billion annually to the UK economy and employs over 2 million people.

He urged hubs leads and young entrepreneurs to work hard in developing the creative industry in Ghana for sustainable development and mentioned crafts and arts, design and fashion, music, film, museum and heritage as areas with huge potentials to tap.

A participant at the workshop, Mardiya Suleman Cheiba of ZongoVation was excited about the training and sees the creative sector as an untapped industry for job creation in the marginalised communities of Ghana.

The three organisations believe that this collaboration will help in the support and development of the creative sector of Ghana.

Social Enterprise Ghana is the national network of high impact social entrepreneurs and hubs in Ghana using business strategies to address Ghana's social, environmental and economic challenges for impact and profit