President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo recently awarded 3,000 entrepreneurs with funds to start and expand their businesses under the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Plan (NEIP) Business Support Programme.

The NEIP Business Support Program is an initiative by the government under the Ministry of Business Development aimed at assisting Ghanaian businesses with Business Advisory Services and funding to scale up and to create jobs.

After an online application process this year, 12,000 entrepreneurs were selected for training at incubation hubs across the country.

The training, which lasted for 30 days equipped applicants with the needed skills to be able to run their businesses.

The hubs served as an avenue to understand trainee businesses in terms of their value proposition, product or service innovation, business location, and their financial performance.

After the training, the hubs recommended 3,000 entrepreneurs eligible for funding ranging between GH¢10,000 to GH¢100,000.

As part of a partnership between Makeup Ghana and the Ministry of Business Development for the 3rd Edition of the Ghana Makeup Awards, eligible winners were allowed to apply for business support through this programme.

As an industry award, the Ghana Makeup Awards is aimed at fostering excellence, by rewarding and empowering practitioners, brands and retailers in the makeup and beauty industry.

Therefore, each year, Makeup Ghana continues to seek partnerships and find opportunities that showcase and grow the businesses of award winners.

Among the recipients were the businesses of five winners of the Ghana Makeup Awards who availed themselves of the opportunity and met all the requirements for the funding.

BlackCherry Beauty Lounge - Best Editorial Makeup Artist

Black Secret - Makeup Brand of the Year

Makeup Product of the Year - Colorbox Cosmetics founded by Stephanie Adu

Makeup Artist of the Year - Valerie Lawson CEO of CVL Beauty

Makeup Retailer of the Year, 2nd Edition - Rozay International

The winners expressed sincere gratitude to the government for the support and urged Makeup Ghana to continue to push for future winners of the Ghana Makeup Awards to enable them to have access to bigger opportunities.