Ghana

The JACCD Design Institute Africa was established in 1993 as Vogue Style. 
JACCD DIA's mission is to prepare and train emerging talent for design excellence by stimulating disruptive innovations, developing interdisciplinary and collaborative projects, and driving the creative economy. The institution's pillars are youth development, support for the needy, business excellence, and entrepreneurship.

JACCD provides training in fashion design, graphic design, animation, film/television, interactive design/game development, visual effects, fine art, textile design, and photography.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

Joyce Ababio graduated from Texas Women's University with a degree in fashion and design, after which she worked in the fashion industry in the United States until her return to Ghana in 1993.

PARTNERSHIP WITH I&P

Through its I&P Education to Employment program, I&P is committed to working with the Institut Les Marmitons to:

⇒ Implement a scholarship assistance program to support 28 vulnerable students

⇒ Implement a student safeguard policy

EXPECTED IMPACTS 

⇒ Reinforcing social inclusion

Incas is a medical diagnostics social enterprise based in Ghana, which seeks to save lives through the design and production of low-cost, easy-to-use, point-of-care diagnostic test kits designed specifically for Africa. Since its inception, Incas Diagnostics has been committed to ensuring that all persons enjoy good health and wellbeing, by making available effective, efficient, and easily accessible test kits at affordable prices for various purposes.

The entrepreneur

Incas was founded by Laud Anthony Basing, who has 10 years of experience as a microbiologist and over a decade of experience in molecular-based research. Laud was previously a Laboratory Auditor for the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM) in Ethiopia where he audited African laboratories enrolled in the SLIPTA Programme, a framework for improving the quality of public health laboratories in developing countries to achieve the requirements of the ISO 15189 standard. Laud worked as a Lecturer at Kumasi University of Science and Technology (KNUST) where he taught Medical Diagnostics and Microbiology before founding Incas.

Partnership with I&P

Incas is supported by I&P through I&P Acceleration in Sahel. In Ghana, the monitoring and the implementation of the program is lead by Wangara Green Ventures. 

This partnership aims at :

• Complete formalization of business (accounting and financial support, implementation of administrative, accounting and HR procedures)
• Review and implement waste treatment procedure
• Support Business development and capital raise

Expected impacts

• Increase in innovation in the Ghanaian and African biotech space
• Directly contributing to the increase in good health and well-being of individuals
• Contribute to decent work and economic growth

Coliba is a Ghana-based company specializing in the recovery and resale of plastic waste at home. Since its inception, the company has been committed to providing environmentally friendly business solutions that leverage technology and innovation to address plastic waste challenges in West Africa, including Ghana.

The entrepreneur

Prince Agbata is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Coliba. Prince created Ghana's first plastic community buyback scheme and built one of Ghana's leading plastic recovery and recycling start-ups. Prince was previously a Circular Economy Consultant for Norfund where he rendered advisory and consulting services for the client on Ghana's plastic waste value chain. He led the creation of a Plastic Recycling app termed the “Uber for plastic recycling.” The promoter previously served as a Project Lead for the Digital Movement for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in basic schools. He also served as Project Manager at IDEA Africa for 2 years managing a team of 17 people in Ghana & Liberia.

Partnership with I&P

Coliba is supported by I&P through I&P Acceleration in Sahel. In Ghana, the monitoring and the implementation of the program is lead by Wangara Green Ventures. 

This partnership aims at :

• Improving warehouse and logistics management
• Integrating management of financial data, customer data from sales, and all auditing tasks.
• Automating supply chain assistance solutions to improve efficiencies and streamline processes within supply chain operations
• Strengthening the corporate governance practices by the company

Expected impacts

• ​Increase jobs from 98 to 200
• Directly contributing to the increase in good health and well-being of individuals 
• Contribute to decent work and economic growth
• Contribute to clean water and sanitation
• Contribute to climate action

Founded by Elliot Agyare, in 1996, Smartline Publisher is a Ghanaian book publishing company that also offers other services including publishing services, educational resource services, supply, and library consulting.

It offers a variety of genres such as picture books, textbooks for junior high school, senior high school, and tertiary, biographies, fiction, and non-fiction.

With over 1.5 million units sold, 350 titles published, a network of 120 secondary schools across the country, and displays on renowned e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Amazon Kindle Store, BookNook, Jumia, African Books Collective, etc.), Smartline is well on its way to achieving its ambition of becoming a leading publishing house on the continent.

The Entrepreneur

Elliot Agyare is regarded as one of the most respected publishers in Ghana and on the African Continent. He has served twice as the President of the Ghana Book Publishers Association and is currently the President of the Commonwealth Book Publishers Association. He was a lead facilitator of the Association for the Development of Education and African Union workshop on National Reading Policies in Nairobi, Kenya in 2018 and Kigali, Rwanda in 2019. He was a presenter at the Sharjah Book Fair in 2019 and spoke at the World Bank in Washington on procurement for books. Elliot is also a board member of the University Press and Vice Chair of the board of the Ghana Book Trust. He has always been involved in advocating for the industry and has led publishing industry engagements with various past governments on policy issues regarding the industry and literacy. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, and an MA in International Studies from the University of Salford, UK.

Partnership with I&P  

Through its I&P Education to Employment program, I&P has committed to Smartline Publisher to:  

⇒ Support the digitization strategy through equipment acquisition to support the production of e-books;

⇒ Publish textbooks adapted to the local needs, in collaboration with teachers and students;

⇒ Conduct research to ascertain the supply coverage of some textbooks in SHS, TVET and Tertiary schools in rural and urban areas and to assess the comprehension level of students to develop the offer accordingly;

⇒ Improve its practices for gender and diversity inclusion in its publications.

Expected impacts 

⇒ Improving Ghana's quality of education

⇒ Increasing education accessibility in rural and urban areas

A company supported by the partnership between I&P and Mastercard Foundation 

Since February 2021, I&P has partnered with Mastercard Foundation through its I&P Education to Employment initiative, a finance program aimed at improving access to relevant and quality education on the African continent.

The partnership between I&P Education to Employment and Mastercard Foundation specifically aims to support 30 education entrepreneurs in 3 target countries (Ivory Coast, Ghana, Senegal) over 3 years. The partner companies receive funding and technical assistance to support them in their digital transformation, resilience, and growth strategy as well as in the implementation of social inclusion and employability measurement mechanisms.

Read more about 

Read Elliot Agyare's portrait

Smartline Publisher website

I&P Education to Employment

GCUC is a private university founded in 2001 by Albert Acquah, a skilled entrepreneur. Based in Kumasi, the university is made up of a Faculty of Applied Sciences, a Faculty of Health Sciences, and a Business School.   

Through an innovative digitization strategy combined with high-quality teaching, GCUC has grown to be one of the leading universities in Ghana. With over 4,000 alumni, GCUC plays a key role in addressing the shortage of health workers in the country.   

The entrepreneur 

Albert Acquah holds degrees in social sciences (Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology), economics and international administration (Ohio University).

He worked for several years in investment consulting.  

Albert Acquah began his entrepreneurial adventure in 2001 when he founded the College of Information Technology and Management Systems, which later became Garden City University College. 

Partnership with I&P 

Through its I&P Education to Employment program, I&P has committed to GCUC to:   

• Develop a digitalization plan (e-learning platform, online courses, construction of a recording and production studio)  
• Support its decentralisation strategy, notably through the implementation of campuses in remote areas of the country and the supply computer equipment 
• Strengthen the employability rate of students and graduates through the jobs and internships center, coupled with the appropriate support 
• Implementing policies and practices to protect learners on campus 

Expected impacts

• Increasing the number of beneficiaries: GCUC's reinforced digitalisation will allow many young people to benefit from training in the healthcare field via online service.
• Promoting access to higher education in remote areas of Ghana by opening two new campuses (Akim Oda and Berekum).
• Increasing the employment prospects of young graduates.  

A company supported by the partneship between I&P and Mastercard Foundation

Since February 2021, I&P has partnered with Mastercard Foundation through its I&P Education to Employment initiative, a finance program aimed at improving access to relevant and quality education on the African continent. 

The partnership between I&P Education to Employment and Mastercard Foundation specifically aims to support 30 education entrepreneurs in 3 target countries (Ivory Coast, Ghana, Senegal) over 3 years. The partner companies receive funding and technical assistance to support them in their digital transformation, resilience, and growth strategy as well as in the implementation of social inclusion and employability measurement mechanisms. 

Read more about the I&P Education to Employment program 

GCUC’s website 

Founded in 1999, OpenLab is a higher education institution offering online and in-class degree and certification courses in new technologies and digital skills. With a mission to combat youth unemployment by providing digital skills, OpenLabs has opened institutions in 5 locations in Ghana: Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi, Tamale, and Tema. By entering into strategic partnerships with renowned technology companies such as IBM, Google for Education, and Huawei, OpenLabs offers its students advanced training in line with the realities of the job market. With over 100,000 students trained, OpenLabs is fully involved in the growth of African tech.
 

THE ENTREPRENEUR

A proven entrepreneur, Dev Varyani began his career in the 1990s with a paper production company in Nigeria. Later, he diversified into health and agriculture. Then, wanting to offer quality education focused on innovation, impact, and employability, he founded the Eureka Africa Group. The group has four higher education institutions covering a variety of fields:

• Blue Crest University, which offers courses in communications, business, and fashion
• Academics City, which trains students in engineering, technology, and entrepreneurship
• Open Labs, a collection of training centers focusing on new technologies and digital technologies
• School Of Fashion And Design, a school specializing in African fashion and design

PARTNERSHIP WITH I&P

Through its I&P Education and Employment program, I&P is committed to working alongside OpenLabs to:

⇒  Confirm its position as a reference institution by accelerating its digitalization, notably through the acquisition of IT equipment,

⇒  Implement policies and practices to protect learners on campus.

EXPECTED IMPACTS

⇒  To increase the accessibility of young people, women and vulnerable populations to quality training through the scholarship programme

⇒  Strengthen the employability of youth through education adapted to the needs of the local labour market.

A COMPANY SUPPORTED BY THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN I&P AND MASTERCARD FOUNDATION

Since February 2021, I&P has partnered with Mastercard Foundation through its I&P Education to Employment initiative, a blended finance program aimed at improving access to relevant and quality education on the African continent.

The partnership between I&P Education to Employment and Mastercard Foundation specifically aims to support 30 education entrepreneurs in 3 target countries (Ivory Coast, Ghana, Senegal) over 3 years. The partner companies receive funding and technical assistance to support them in their digital transformation, resilience, and growth strategy as well as in the implementation of social inclusion and employability measurement mechanisms.

Read more

https://openlabs.edu.gh/

I&P Education to Employment program

Codetrain is a coding bootcamp school designed to provide aspiring software developers with the technical skills that will allow them to have a career in the software development industry. The founder, Richard Brandt, first thought about setting up a coding school when he had trouble finding interns with hands-on experience.

«I selected a group of students from various universities and a few high school graduates, and started teaching them how to code. The results were amazing, and one remarkable thing was that their friends kept asking if they could also join the training. That is when I knew that I was doing something that had high impact potential » - Richard Brandt (link)

The school offers two curricula: full stack web development and mobile app development. The program focuses on practical teaching and interactive learning. Codetrain opened its doors in 2017, in the cities of Accra and Kumasi and has since trained 500 students and has a 90% job placement rate.

A graduate in mathematics from Kwame Nkrumah University in Ghana, Richard Brandt began his career as a data analyst. His passion for entrepreneurship caught up with him so he spent two years training at the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST). He was taught practical skills in software development and business creation. His first excursion into the entrepreneurial world was for merchants looking to improve their conversion rates. Then, his passion led him to Chile, where he joined an incubator, and then to Germany. In 2017, willing to give the youth the tools to join the digital revolution and impact their communities, he founded Codetrain.

PARTNERSHIP WITH I&P

Through its I&P Education and Employment program, I&P has committed to Codetrain to:

⇒ Support the digitalization strategy through the development of an e-learning platform and the improvement of the video content offer,

⇒ Support the implementation of a scholarship program, especially for young women, and ensure sustainable funding,

⇒ Strengthen the employability rate of students and graduates by recruiting a professional in charge of relations with international and local companies to assist them in their search for internships and jobs.

EXPECTED IMPACTS 

⇒ Expand the accessibility of the training offer across Ghana through the creation of an e-learning platform.

⇒ Enable youth, women and vulnerable populations to access appropriate training through a more flexible scholarship system and payment terms. 60% of the scholarships would be reserved for women.

A COMPANY SUPPORTED BY THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN I&P AND MASTERCARD FOUNDATION

Since February 2021, I&P has partnered with Mastercard Foundation through its I&P Education to Employment initiative, a blended finance program aimed at improving access to relevant and quality education on the African continent.

The partnership between I&P Education to Employment and Mastercard Foundation specifically aims to support 30 education entrepreneurs in 3 target countries (Ivory Coast, Ghana, Senegal) over 3 years. The partner companies receive funding and technical assistance to support them in their digital transformation, resilience, and growth strategy as well as in the implementation of social inclusion and employability measurement mechanisms.

Read more 

https://codetraingh.com

I&P Education to Employment program