Fidelity Bank Ghana has organised a virtual networking forum for over 40 entrepreneurs to connect, share their business stories and provide feedback to it and its partners on the benefits of the bank’s youth support programmes.

The entrepreneurs, selected from different sectors of the economy, have benefitted from the Fidelity Young Entrepreneurship Program, which consists of the Fidelity Young Entrepreneurs Fund (FYEF) and Orange Corners Innovation Fund (OCIF).

Fidelity Bank launched the Fidelity Young Entrepreneurs Fund (FYEF) to provide both financial and non-financial support to enable youth-related businesses to survive and thrive. Together with its partners, the bank will provide training programmes and up to ¢200,000 in financial support to strengthen and grow selected businesses.

As part of the Bank’s long-term youth development strategy to support the related UN Sustainable Development Goals, Fidelity Bank joined other corporate partners and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN), to launch EKN’s Ghana chapter of the Orange Corners programme.

The programme runs an accelerator to build the capacity of youth enterprises and provides low-cost financing where necessary, using a revolving fund mechanism developed and managed by Fidelity Bank.

In his address at the maiden virtual networking forum, Julian Opuni, Managing Director of Fidelity Bank Ghana, said: “it is heartwarming to see that these young entrepreneurs are working hard and so effectively to grow and sustain their businesses.

"These flagship youth initiatives, the Fidelity Young Entrepreneurs Fund and the Orange Corners Initiative, were established to give them the necessary support and our aim with this event is to solicit ideas on how to improve these initiatives to continue to meet the dynamic needs of young entrepreneurs.”

“It is our hope that the SMEs that benefitted from our financial and training programmes will grow to become big businesses that will significantly impact Ghana and beyond,” he disclosed.

Some of the young entrepreneurs who attended the networking forum expressed their appreciation to Fidelity Bank and its partners for the ongoing assistance to grow their businesses.

They were optimistic that the feedback that they shared with Fidelity Bank will be incorporated into the programmes to benefit participants. Under the Fidelity Young Entrepreneurship Program, Fidelity Bank has disbursed over GHS 3 million loans to beneficiaries.

Fidelity’s support of young entrepreneurs forms part of the Bank’s “Together We’re More” brand promise that views success as a collaborative effort among key stakeholders working together towards a greater good.

Fidelity has proven that by working together with entrepreneurs, they can help them realise their business dreams which ultimately contributes to the economic growth of the nation.