By Faustina Dagadu
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) must embrace innovation, digital transformation and continuous learning to remain competitive and contribute meaningfully to Ghana’s economic growth, Chief Enterprise Officer of MTN Ghana, Angela Mensah-Poku, has said.
Speaking at the SMEGA Awards on Thursday night, Mensah-Poku said the businesses that would drive Ghana’s economy in the coming decade would not necessarily be the largest companies operating today, but those that were prepared to adapt and innovate.
The businesses that will define Ghana's economy over the next decade may not be the largest businesses you know today. But they will be in this room —still small in size but big in ambition,” she said.
She said SMEs that identified changes early and used technology to improve their operations would be better positioned to take advantage of emerging opportunities.
According to her, the competitive advantage of businesses was increasingly determined by their willingness to learn, adapt and reinvent themselves rather than their size.
The real competitive advantage is no longer size. It's the willingness to learn and reinvent yourselves,” she said.
The SMEGA Awards were held under the theme: “Shaping Ghana’s Economic Future: Empowering SMEs through Innovation and Digital Transformation for Sustainable Growth, Global Competitiveness and Financial Resilience.”
Mensah-Poku said the theme was particularly relevant at a time when technology was changing markets and transforming industries.
She stressed that while technology provided the tools for transformation, the people behind businesses remained critical to achieving results.
Technology alone does not transform your businesses. People do—the entrepreneur who challenges old ways of working, the owner who uses data to make sharper decisions, and the leader who sees disruption not as a threat but an opening,” she said.
MTN expands SME support
Mensah-Poku said MTN Ghana was strengthening its support for SMEs through training, connectivity and access to capital.
She disclosed that the company’s SME Accelerate programme had this year taken business clinics to six regions and provided more than 1,000 entrepreneurs with practical training in digital adoption, financial management and business resilience.
She said MTN had also introduced seed funding through business pitch sessions, with nine entrepreneurs receiving financial support to develop their businesses.
This is why MTN partners with SMEGA—not to sponsor a ceremony but to invest in what happens between the ceremonies: the training, the capital and the connectivity,” she stressed.
She said MTN’s commitment to SMEs was part of its broader effort to create opportunities for businesses and individuals to thrive.
Mensah-Poku noted that when entrepreneurs succeeded, the benefits extended beyond individual businesses to families, communities and the wider economy through job creation and new investment.
She said MTN was celebrating its 30th anniversary under the theme “30 Years of Progress, Powered by You”, adding that SMEs had played an important role in Ghana’s economic development during that period.
Government targets stronger SMEs
Chief Director of the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Noah Tumfo, who represented the Minister, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, said government wanted to see more SMEs develop into productive and competitive enterprises.
He said the focus should not only be on the number of SMEs in the country, but on their ability to increase production, create jobs, add value and enter larger markets.
Ghana needs more of its small businesses to grow into strong, productive and competitive Ghanaian enterprises,” Tumfo said.
He said SMEs seeking to grow needed to establish proper business systems, maintain accurate records, comply with applicable standards and improve their production capacity.
He also identified packaging, financial management and the effective use of technology as important factors in helping businesses expand.
Tumfuor said Ghana’s participation in regional and international trade presented opportunities for local businesses, particularly through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
However, he cautioned that businesses needed to meet market requirements before they could fully benefit from the opportunities presented by the continental market.
Its real value to Ghana will be seen in the number of enterprises that are able to produce competitively, meet market requirements and sell successfully across the continent,” he said.
GEA pushes digitalisation
Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA), Margaret Ansei, said innovation should be treated as a continuous process rather than a one-time breakthrough.
She said even simple changes in production and business processes could help SMEs improve efficiency and competitiveness.
Innovation is a daily discipline. It is not always a dramatic breakthrough. Sometimes it is a baker reducing waste, a farmer thinking of improvement, or a manufacturer finding a safer way to produce,” she said.
Ansei said the GEA, together with partners including the UNDP and GIZ, had launched the MSME Gateway platform to provide businesses with information on formalisation, financing, advisory services and market opportunities.
She said the agency was targeting at least 25,000 Ghanaian MSMEs for digital capability development, with particular attention to businesses owned by women and young people.
She further encouraged entrepreneurs to strengthen their businesses through proper financial management, reliable records, compliance with standards and continuous adaptation.
The large market does not automatically produce a sale. Our businesses must be able to be viable, trusted and ready to deliver,” she said.
1,350 businesses apply
The SMEGA Awards received about 1,350 applications, with businesses shortlisted across several categories.
Among those recognised were Noble Sign Enterprise for Micro Entrepreneur Business Discovery; Koliko Wear Enterprise for Leather, Textile and Garment; Queen GAF Enterprise for SME Consumer Products, Cosmetics and Household Manufacturing; Extra Comfort Ltd for Engineering, Construction and Industrial; and Dress Up College and Fashion Ltd for Textile, Garment and Fashion Manufacturing.
Other recognised businesses included Activity Limited in Creative Arts and Design, Ahodwo Farms Ltd in Agribusiness Production, Dimbone Farm Gate Ltd in Agribusiness Services and Inputs, Binas Prime Enterprise in Retail and Consumer Trade, and Demi Pearl in Food and Beverage/Agro-processing.
Markinstein Waste Ltd was recognised in Environmental, Waste Management and Sanitation Services, while Bubune Africa featured in Product Innovation and Excelsa Forestry in Sustainable Enterprise and ESG.
Dress Up College of Fashion was also recognised for Digitalisation and Technology Adoption, while Citi FM received recognition in Media Reportage.
The awards highlighted the contribution of Ghanaian SMEs across manufacturing, agriculture, retail, technology, creative industries, environmental services and other sectors of the economy.
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