Tamale came alive on Tuesday as 160 small and medium-scale business owners were empowered with financial and technical support worth GH¢2 million under the MTN SME Support Program. The awards ceremony, held at the Radach Lodge and Conference Centre, marked a major step in the ongoing effort to strengthen local enterprises across northern Ghana.
The program, now in its third year, is spearheaded by the MTN Ghana Foundation in partnership with Innohub and Fidelity Bank Ghana. It has become a lifeline for small businesses in the north, particularly women-led ventures and persons with disabilities, who often struggle to access both capital and mentorship to expand their operations.
Speaking at the ceremony, Cynthia Mills, Economic Empowerment Advisor at the MTN Ghana Foundation, described the initiative as a bold investment in the future of Ghana’s economy. She explained that more than 350 enterprises from Tamale and Bolgatanga were assessed before 160 were carefully selected to receive support. The beneficiaries, she said, were drawn from diverse industries such as shea butter processing, poultry, peanut butter production, fish mongering, fashion design and creative arts. Mills praised the resilience and creativity of the entrepreneurs, stressing that the support was designed to transform their lives while creating new opportunities for their communities.
Senior Manager at MTN Ghana, Robert Kuzoe, also addressed the gathering and noted that the program went beyond the provision of funds. According to him, MTN’s partnership with Innohub was strategic, because financial support alone was not enough to guarantee business success. He explained that beneficiaries had already undergone intensive training in areas such as bookkeeping, financial management and sustainable business practices to ensure they would invest wisely and reinvest profits for long-term growth. Kuzoe emphasised that the program reflects MTN’s inclusive agenda, which deliberately targets women, youth and differently abled entrepreneurs, ensuring no group is left behind in Ghana’s economic transformation.
Chief of Staff at Innohub, Mame Serwaa Amoakohene, highlighted the organisation’s motivation for partnering on the initiative. She explained that many small and growing businesses are often overlooked, considered either too small to qualify for funding or overshadowed by larger firms. Innohub, she said, was created to bridge that gap and make such businesses investor-ready. She further noted that beyond funding, capacity building remains at the heart of the program, since access to finance without proper business planning could easily lead to failure.
For the beneficiaries, the awards represented more than financial relief; they were a spark of renewed hope. Niamatu Alhassan, founder of Angbanlife, who produces nutritious Sobolo tea made from ginger, clove and lemongrass, expressed her excitement about the opportunity to scale up. She explained that the support would enable her to expand her product line and meet the rising demand from customers. For Mohammed Tahiru, CEO of Suglo Shoe Enterprise and a member of the Ghana Society of the Physically Disabled, the moment was life-changing. He remarked that many people misunderstood disability as inability, but through MTN’s recognition and investment, he and other PWD entrepreneurs had been given the platform to prove their potential.
The ceremony in Tamale was more than a celebration of business talent; it was a powerful reminder of the resilience of northern entrepreneurs and their ability to drive local economic growth. With the injection of GH¢2 million into their ventures, the awardees now have renewed confidence to expand their businesses, create jobs and contribute to the broader development of their communities.
