Two hundred young people from the Volta and Oti regions have benefited from the MTN Y'ello Care training for young entrepreneurs as part of the MTN Y'ello Care social responsibility to empower entrepreneurs in the two regions to unlock growth and jobs creation in the regions.

Speaking in an interview with the media, the Regional Area Sales Manager for Eastern, Volta and Oti Regions, Mr. Ransford Gyan,  on the theme: 'Empowering entrepreneurs to unlock growth and jobs creation for communities' said, the MTN Y'ello Care initiative is to promote youth-led businesses in the digital space.

“You would all agree that volunteering through Y’ello Care is a rewarding exercise. It is always good to give back to our community and make a difference in someone’s life,“ Mr Ransford Gyan said.

From the corporate perspective, Mr Gyan said it lends credence to their belief in “Doing for people”; showing that that they really do care and that Y’ello Care therefore symbolises the company's strong commitment to walk the talk when it comes to contributing to society in a meaningful way.

He noted that it helps to raise awareness about the issues affecting society and demonstrates MTN's readiness to do something about them.

"It is a time to pause, connect and strengthen our ties with our host communities," he said.

He added that, “It is a call to serve those who are less privileged than we are. For these reasons, it is heart-warming to see you all revving to roll up your sleeves to 'show some love' to someone who needs it. For me, and I believe for most of you too, it is a welcome relief to take a break from work for 3 weeks to focus on something equally worthy."

He said that the Y’ello Care program has been running for the past 16 years from 1st to 21st June each year.

“Thanks to Y’ello Care, we have done a lot in the past 16 years to support vulnerable and underserved communities with much needed resources and skills to improve their circumstances. Let us recall some of our achievements, appreciate our impact, and remind ourselves about how much we can achieve if we   put our minds and effort to it” he said.

This year, Mr Gyan said, they will be leveraging on digital and financial tools as well as professional skills to assist grassroot-based entrepreneurs to unlock their potential.

On Youth Entrepreneurship Train-YET – he said the initiative seeks to promote youth-led businesses in the digital space. MTN volunteers will take beneficiaries through customer service and social media training and in addition, a knowledge sharing forum will be organised with volunteer entrepreneurs deliver enterprise business solutions.

And on Women-In-Action, the campaign will focus on indigenous local businesses in the shea butter space, smock weaving, fish mongering or smoking, palm oil, and basket weaving, among others.

Volunteers will help to connect these businesses to bigger markets using smart phones and social media.

“Differently Abled - This will involve the provision of seed money and training to scale-up the businesses of people who are differently abled. Through this initiative, volunteers will provide financial training and customized solutions for such businesses. We will also share with them information on funding opportunities through an interactive session. 100 beneficiaries would be considered in Koforidua,” Mr Ransford Gyan said.

The Regional Lead for Oti and Volta Region, Mr. Mawuli Katahena also said, the program is a continuous one which is beneficial to the youth and therefore entreats them to take advantage of the program.

Mr Mawuli Katahena noted that with the training and determination the youths would be able to expand their business and be more financially stable