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Orange Corners Ghana celebrates Entrepreneurs at graduation event
Orange Corners Ghana, an initiative of the Netherlands, celebrated the graduation of 73 youth-led businesses at the residence of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Ambassador to Ghana.
The Kingdom of the Netherlands, with support from Ghanaian Corporate Partners, continues to provide access to finance and support Ghanaian youth-led businesses through the Orange Corners Ghana Initiative.
The initiative provides access to EUR 50,000.00 from the Orange Corners Innovation Fund for business growth.
The initiative aims to provide exceptional youth-led businesses with the financial resources and elevated Entrepreneurial capacity necessary to scale their businesses and continue their path to success.
The graduation event held on Thursday March 7, is the 8th Cohort of the programme since its inception in 2019.
The event served as a platform to showcase the success stories of Cohort 8 participants, and Alumni.
Inspiring testimonials from graduates highlighted the transformative impact of the programme.
In all, 227 talented young entrepreneurs were supported and 55 percent of them were women-led.
Programme partners
(MDF West Africa, Fidelity Bank, Vivo Energy, Koudijs, People’s Pension Trust, MPS Tema Port, Friesland Campina, and Cargill Ghana) and guest speakers commended Orange Corners Ghana’s dedication to fostering entrepreneurial talent in Ghana.
They emphasised the programme’s important role in driving economic development and fostering the growth of innovative in Ghanaian businesses.
The Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Ghana, H.E. Mr. Jeroen Verheul, extended warm congratulations to the Cohort 8 graduates during the ceremony.
He acknowledged their perseverance and the successful completion of the programme.
He also took a moment to recognise the remarkable achievements of the Orange Corners Ghana Acceleration Programme itself.
The Ambassador expressed his gratitude to the programme’s partners, highlighting their continued support as crucial to the programme’s success.
Through its multi-faceted approach of mentorship, workshops, networking opportunities, and access to finance, the programme equips young entrepreneurs with the tools and resilience needed to not only navigate challenges but also emerge as trailblazers and change-makers in their respective industries.
Mr. Richard Yeboah, Director – MDF Global, used the opportunity to express his gratitude to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
He recounted the programme’s journey, which began in 2019 with a pilot cohort of 30 companies. Since then, it has provided support to over 800 aspiring entrepreneurs across Ghana.
Mr. Yeboah highlighted the increasing number of applications received, which ultimately led to the programme’s expansion from Accra to Ho, Tamale, Kumasi and Takoradi.
He also emphasised the programme’s unique focus on supporting companies through the formalisation process, ensuring they operate within a sustainable framework.
The decision to expand beyond Accra, as Mr Yeboah pointed out, proved to be a success, fostering the growth of talented entrepreneurs across the country and ensuring a wider reach for Orange Corners Ghana’s impactful offerings.
In a related development, Orange Corners Ghana welcomed Growth Africa after a pivotal announcement which saw the handing over of the reins from MDF West Africa to Growth Africa.
This transition marks a new chapter for Orange Corners Ghana, ensuring the programme’s continued impact for the next five years.
With enthusiasm, the ceremony announced the launch of a new Cohort and invited applications from businesses in the Cocoa and Horticulture sectors looking to scale.
This signifies Orange Corners Ghana’s commitment to empowering young Ghanaians.
Those driven to join the dynamic community of Orange Corners Ghana entrepreneurs were encouraged to visit the programme’s website or explore its social media pages.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The Global Network of Export-Import Banks and Development Finance Institutions (G-NEXID) successfully held its sixth (6th) Exchange Programme, hosted by the Ghana Export – Import Bank (GEXIM) Bank in Accra from March 22 to 23 March.
The event brought together member institutions, partner organisations and Ghanaian public entities to advance dialogue on South-South trade, investment and development finance, while also creating opportunities for knowledge-sharing and institutional cooperation.
Organised as a capacity-building and networking platform, the 2026 edition of the G-NEXID Exchange focused on GEXIM’s experience in developing innovative solutions to promote intra-African and extra-African trade.
It also highlighted trade and investment opportunities in Ghana, particularly in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and broader national development initiatives.
The Exchange Programme forms part of G-NEXID’s mandate to foster cooperation among export-import banks and development finance institutions in support of South-South trade and investment.
This 6th edition follows earlier successful programmes hosted by India Exim Bank (2016), BNDES (2017), Indonesia Eximbank (2018), Afreximbank (2019) and Saudi EXIM Bank (2025).
On the first day, participants were presented with G-NEXID institutional information and received an update on the Network’s 2026 work programme.
There were a series of substantive presentations, including an overview of the Ghanaian economy by the Ministry of Finance, with particular attention to debt-related challenges; a presentation by the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), on investment opportunities in the country; and institutional presentations by GEXIM and Development Bank Ghana (DBG) on their respective mandates, initiatives, products and services.
Discussions during the sessions underscored strong interest in sector-focused webinars and business dialogues, particularly in agribusiness value chains such as poultry and rice.
Participants also emphasized the importance of continued information exchange and the sharing of best practices, especially in the area of guarantees.
The second day opened with a presentation on the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme, a national economic transformation strategy launched by President John Dramani Mahama in July 2025.
The initiative aims to enhance economic productivity through continuous industrial activity, accelerated export development and strategic import substitution.
As the programme is expected to mobilise both private and development capital, it presents concrete opportunities for G-NEXID members in areas such as co-financing, guarantees, trade finance and technical cooperation.
The programme also featured institutional presentations by guest organisations, namely the African Guarantee and Economic Cooperation Fund (FAGACE) and the West African Development Bank (BOAD), which shared their mandates, initiatives, products and services.
Following these exchanges, the G-NEXID Secretariat held bilateral discussions with both institutions as part of the Network’s ongoing membership drive.
Participants further benefited from a presentation by the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank (TDB), as well as a showcase of GEXIM’s key pipeline projects.
On the margins of the Exchange Programme, G-NEXID members also held their 20th Annual General Assembly Meeting to review progress and discuss strategic priorities.
Following the event, participants joined the GEXIM@10 International Conference, held from March 24-25, 2026 under the theme, “A Decade of Enabling Export Trade and Industrial Transformation: Resetting GEXIM for the Next Frontier.”
The conference provided an important platform for exploring how Ghana can strengthen its transition from a primary commodity exporter to a more competitive player in value-added trade and industrial development.
Source – G-NEXID
President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, signed five bills including three amendment bills passed by Parliament into law.
They are: Security and Intelligence Agencies Bill, 2025; University of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences Bill, 2025; Ghana Deposit Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2025; Growth and Sustainability Levy (Amendment) Bill, 2026; and Education Regulatory Bodies (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
In a brief remark after assenting to the bills, President Mahama explained that the Security and Intelligence Agencies Act, 2026, scraps the Office of Minister of National Security and frees the President’s to appoint any Minister to supervise the security agencies.
He said it also reverses the name of the office of National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), to the original name, Bureau of National Intelligence, (BNI).
This the President said, addresses the confusion between that security agency and a well-known Ghanaian financial institution, the National Investment Bank.
President Mahama also noted that the University of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences Act, 2026, establishes another University in the Eastern Region, at Bonsu, with three campuses – the main campus at Bonsu in the Eastern Region, with the second campus to be cited at Ohawu in the Oti Region.
The third, the Presdient assed will be located at Acherensua in the Ahafo Region.
Touching on the Amendment to the Growth and Sustainability Levy Act, the President said, “As you’re aware, the act was amended to increase it from 1% to 3%, and so this act reduces it again. That is the levy on mining companies. It reduces it again to 1%, because of the introduction of the sliding scale of royalties.”
He also spoke to the passage of the Government Education Regulatory Bodies Amendment Act, emphasising that amends Act 1023 to grant greater flexibility to private tertiary institutions and the option to Charter.
The Ghana Deposit Protection Amendment Act, the President concluded, is an amendment to an original act that was supposed to guarantee deposits held in commercial banks or financial institutions.
It basically expands protection to include mobile money wallets and other digital platforms, ensuring a wider scope of digital financial assets are secured.
The signing ceremony, was witnessed by the Clerk of Parliament, Mr. Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, Secretary to the President, Dr Callistus Mahama, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Dr Dominic Akrutinga Ayine, Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, Joyce Bawa Mogtari, a Senior Presidential Advisor and a Special Aide to the President, Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, and the Vice President, Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang.
