President Hands Over Awards to Winners of Presidential Pitch Season II

By Yaw Kyei

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has challenged winners of this year's Presidential Pitch Award to use the new opportunities available to them to create over 200 jobs in the next year.

The President said winners of the previous season created 207 jobs in the past year and urged winners of this season to do more than their predecessors.

President Akufo-Addo said this yesterday when he handed cheques of various sums to the winners of the Presidential Pitch Season II, organised by the Ministry of Business Development, at the Jubilee House in Accra.

Founders of FluoyaBana Sanitary pads, Emily Otoo Quayeson and Matilda Asantewaa Sampong were crowned winners of this year's edition and were presented with a grand prize of GH¢60,000, with additional support of GH¢40,000 from the President.

The young female entrepreneurs, both students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, use banana-fibre as a major component to produce the eco-friendly sanitary pads.

Cassava Noodles and Eazz Foods took second and third places and walked away with GH¢40,000 and GH¢35,000 respectively. Winners from the 4th to 10th position also walked away with GH¢25,000 each.

President Akufo-Addo commended the young entrepreneurs for their initiative, enterprise and ingenuity and entreated them to be instruments of job creation in the country.

He told the winners to set new ways of dealing with issues that would allow people to get employed and urged them to employ more people that what their predecessors did.

"We are expecting a lot from you; not just next year but in the years down the road because already, you have shown talent, creativity, and initiative," he said.

President Akufo-Addo noted that the country's prospects of growth, development and prosperity would be stronger if more of such entrepreneurs were nurtured.

On behalf of the beneficiaries, Ms Otoo Quayeson thanked the President for the support and gave the assurance that they would use the funds to expand their businesses and create employment.

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