The University of Ghana, in partnership with Imperial College London, Impact Hub Accra, and the British Council, has officially launched the fourth cohort of its flagship Student Venture Support Programme (SVSP).
The Student Venture Support Programme (SVSP) is an initiative under the Innovation for African Universities programme, designed to build entrepreneurial capacity among students. It continues to grow in scale and impact, empowering students to develop viable ventures with mentorship, training, and funding supportThe launch brought together participants from the University of Ghana (UG), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), University of Cape Coast (UCC), and, for the first time, the University for Development Studies (UDS).
Welcoming a New Wave of Student Entrepreneurs
The hybrid launch event, held at the University of Ghana and streamed online, opened with a welcome address by Mrs. Maamie N. Hutchful Nortey Snr Research Development Officer with the Innovation Unit (Research and Innovation Directorate (RID) UG), who acknowledged the presence of key university officials and partners both onsite and online.
Delivering the official opening remarks, Prof. David Dodoo-Arhin, Director of RID, highlighted the programme’s impact since its inception in 2021 under the Innovation for African Universities (IAU) initiative.
“The SVSP has trained over 300 students and supported more than 85 student-led ventures. These ventures are not just academic exercises – they are real businesses solving real problems,” Prof. Dodoo-Arhin said.
He commended the visionary leadership of Prof. Felix Ankomah Asante, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Development, for spearheading the initiative and fostering a culture of entrepreneurship at the University.
Partner Institutions Share Their Commitment
Speaking on behalf of Imperial College London, Mrs. Abbie Ninson, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Manager at Imperial Global Ghana, expressed gratitude to all partners and applauded the growth of the programme. She also acknowledged the dedication of the local team and highlighted the unique opportunity for students to be part of a global network through Imperial’s innovation hubs in Ghana and Singapore.
Dr Akomia, representing KNUST, reiterated the university's enthusiasm to collaborate and emphasised the role of entrepreneurship in addressing youth unemployment.
“Anything that promotes job creation and employability is welcome at KNUST. “We’re hopeful this cohort will be as impactful as the previous ones,” he noted.
Dr. Karen Arthur from UCC introduced her team of 26 students across nine teams working in sectors such as beauty, agriculture, food processing, and technology.
Prof. Haruna Issaka, team lead for UDS, shared the institution’s eagerness to contribute, noting that most of their ventures focus on agrotech due to their geographical context.
“Our students see this as an opportunity to sharpen their entrepreneurial skills. We are not just here to compete but to learn and grow,” he added.
UG Introduces 11 Teams, Emphasises Mentorship
Mr. Kwame Adu Ofei, Research Development Officer at the University of Ghana, introduced the University’s participating teams: Efie Delight, Green Oil Ventures, Agricom Assurance, The Road to Sanity, IAAS UG, Eastern Freshaura, Raven Studio, devTrio, Fitroot Ghana, HealthTech 4 Africa, and Ecopack.
The Innovation team at RID explained to participants that the programme runs for six weeks and includes eight intensive masterclasses led by the University of Ghana Business School and other service providers. Mrs. Hutchful Nortey emphasized that mentorship is a cornerstone of the SVSP, noting that the first cohort of the SVSP relied solely on mentorship, which proved invaluable.
Success Stories Inspire the New Cohort
Former participants shared their success stories, including Josephine Toudeka, who leveraged the SVSP to launch a palm nut soup product line, and Mawunyo Avornyo from Fedricare, whose team won the maiden competition and received awards, which included cash and a training stint at Harvard University.
Unity Over Competition
Prof. Felix Ankomah Asante, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Development, emphasized that the SVSP is about collaboration rather than competition.
“Our goal is not just to compete but to create future startups with team members from different universities. These collaborations are vital for national development.
Closing remarks were delivered by the Director of RID, who encouraged students to make the most of this transformative opportunity.
Mrs. Hutchful Nortey concluded the event by thanking the media—both the Ghana News Agency—and the RID media team, the University of Ghana Business School, programme facilitators, In-house selection team and all students and faculty from the participating universities.
