The Ghana Bioenterprise Innovations Partnership (GBIP) and the Ghana-Britain Partnership for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (GB-PIE) of the Innovations for African Universities (IAU) have launched a manual to guide young start-ups through the process of regularising their businesses.

The manual, titled: ‘A Stepwise Guide to the Registration of Businesses for Young Start-ups”, aims to simplify the process which very often becomes an unsurmountable barrier for small businesses.

The development of the manual was part of the action point for the two (2) projects which sought to equip young and potential entrepreneurs with the knowledge and skills to translate their ideas into viable ventures.

Speaking at the event, the Project Lead, Professor Desmond Omane Acheampong, indicated that the manual comes at a time when there are calls for graduates to start their own businesses since the demand for labour has not increased in all sectors of the economy.

He also said most students and graduates view the process of business registration as cumbersome and thus shelve their ideas.

“Therefore, this manual provides a step-by-step guide from the selection of the business name to the final inspection by a regulatory agency,” he stated.

The document was developed by Medory Naturals, a Ghanaian start-up that deals in the development, manufacturing and sale of natural health products from local plants.

This start-up received technical assistance from GBIP and GB-PIE to regularise their business, improve packaging and branding as well as marketing of their products under a translator accelerator programme.

The Head of Medory Naturals, Dr. Ama Kyeraa Thomford for her part, stated that the manual was based on the practical experiences of Medory as they went through the steps in business registration, hence, it will be relevant to all young start-ups.

The launch of the manual happened with the introduction of the Medory Naturals’ herbal teas to the University community. The two products showcased at the event, Medory Blue Tea and Medory Flora Tea, are formulated from some local medicinal plants.

The products are indicated to reinvigorate and reduce stress. They are intended for persons of all ages, especially, those seeking healthy alternatives to the sugar-based and caffeinated drinks common on the Ghanaian market.

The event held at the Sam Jonah Library, University of Cape Coast was attended by the team members from the IAU project partners, faculty, students and teaching assistants from the University community. The IAU projects have the University of Cape Coast, University of Health and Allied Sciences, and the University of St Andrews, Scotland-UK as partners.

In attendance were Professor Desmond Omane Acheampong – Dean SAHS, UCC, Chair; Dr. Francis Ackah Armah – Senior Lecturer, Department of Biomedical Sciences; Dr. Ama Kyeraa Thomford – Senior Lecturer, Department of Biomedical Sciences; and Dr. Richael Odarkor Mills – Lecturer, Department of Biomedical Sciences.

The rest are; Dr. George Ghartey-Kwansah – Lecturer, Department of Biomedical Sciences; Dr. Kwame Kumi Asare – Research Fellow, University of Cape Coast; and Dr. Kwesi Prah Thomford – Lecturer, Department of Pharmacognosy and Herbal Medicine.