Accra, Ghana//-Staff volunteers of MTN Ghana are taking their annual 21 Day Y’ello Care challenge to empower entrepreneurs to unlock growth and job creation for communities across the West African country.
This is in line with this year’s theme-‘Empowering entrepreneurs to unlock growth and job creation for communities’.
“We will be leveraging digital and financial tools as well as our professional skills to assist grassroot-based entrepreneurs to unlock their potential. Our campaign will focus on the youth, women and the differently abled”, MTN Ghana’s Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer, Adwoa Wiafe explained at the launch on Thursdays 1 June 2023.
According to her, with the theme and objectives in mind, the spotlight for this year’s 21 Days of Y’ello Care would be on the projects listed below.
Youth Entrepreneurship Train-YET – This initiative seeks to promote youth-led businesses in the digital space.
“MTN volunteers will take beneficiaries through customer service and social media training. In addition, a knowledge sharing forum will be organised with volunteer entrepreneurs to deliver enterprise business solutions”.
Women-In-Action – This campaign, Madam Wiafe explained would focus on indigenous local businesses in the shea butter space, smock weaving, fish mongering or smoking, palm oil, and basket weaving, among others.
She added that the volunteers would help to connect these businesses to bigger markets using smart phones and social media.
Differently Abled – This will involve the provision of seed money and training to scale-up the businesses of people who are differently abled.
“Through this initiative, volunteers will provide financial training and customized solutions for such businesses. We will also share with them information on funding opportunities through an interactive session”.
Call to action
There is a lot to do within the time, but she was confident that they would rise to the occasion once again.
“Let us go all out to bring the benefits of a modern connected life to the doorsteps of this focal demographic. By introducing them to digital skills, we will be promoting digital inclusion, improving their livelihoods, and enabling them to become true “doers” and achievers of Africa’s progress”, Madam Wiafe said.
She urged her fellow staff volunteers to also bear in mind the whopping prize of $100,000 that awaits the winning Opco.
“It has been more than a decade since MTN Ghana won this coveted prize (we won in 2010 and 2011). So, let’s go for it! Let’s push ourselves to bring it home again”.
Cecila Amankwah, Country Director of Engage Now Africa (ENA) whose NGO mission is to heal, rescue, and lift African youth is partnering with the MTN Ghana to deliver the projects mentioned above.
She said she was excited to partner with MTN Ghana to empower young Ghanaians to transform their communities.
MTN Y’ello care
Instructively, since 2007 the 21-day long staff volunteerism programme in which employees across MTN’s operations across the world are encouraged to take time off to physically get involved in activities that will uplift the communities they operate in.
It also offers MTN staff the opportunity to brighten lives through this volunteer work.
