Accra, Ghana//-Yesli Ice, a leading Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) in Ghana, which is dedicated to producing exceptional low-sugar ice cream, has won the Overall Best SME of the Year 2024 at the MTN SMEGA Awards.
Yesli Ice beat off stiff competition from over 20 other SMEs to pick the overall award at the event held in Accra today.
The award includes a beautiful plaque, citation, souvenirs from MTN Ghana, and other packages were received by the CEO of Yesli Ice, Aku-Shika Diabah.
The enthusiastic audiences stood and clapped when her business was announced by the Chief Enterprise Business Officer at MTN Ghana, Madam Angela Mensah-Poku as the overall winner of the coveted award.
Yesli Ice also won three category awards before picking the ultimate award, and they are-Food and Beverage, Production Innovation category awards, and she personally won the SME Woman Entrepreneur of the year.
Other SME businesses took home category awards. B-Diet, a Tamale-based SME which provides breakfast with cereals picked up three category awards such as Food Processing, Trade Sector Food, and SME Leadership Excellence.
Another SME which put on a good fight was SinceShea, a leading Ghanaian eco-conscious beauty and personal care brand which specializing in natural skincare and haircare made with the finest unrefined shea butter, African black soap, and nourishing botanical oils, won also three category awards namely, Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics, Pharmaceuticals under Trade Sector categories.
All these award winner SME businesses went home with plaques, citation, MTN Ghana technology devices, MTN souvenirs, Star Life insurance packages, among others.
While James Ebo Whyte of Roverman fame, and Madam Joyce Ababio were recognised with Long Service and SME Industry Sharper awards respectively.
In all , 22 SME businesses and individuals were honoured at the event. The overall winner on behalf of the other winners thanked and SMEGA Awards for the honour done them.
Speaking earlier, Chief Enterprise Business Officer at MTN Ghana, Madam Angela Mensah-Poku said MTN Ghana was happy to partner with the SMEGA Awards, not just as supporters, but as active partners committed to empowering SMEs.
She added that recognition mattered, and the awards provided a platform for SMEs in the country to showcase their resilience, creativity, and perseverance, among others.
The Executive Director of SMEGA Africa, Kwesi Fure-Junior stated that his outfit mission is to provide investment and access to market opportunities that would enable SMEs to grow beyond local markets and become more competitive.
The High Commissioner of India to Ghana, H.E. Manish Gupta, who was the guest of honour expressed India’s commitment to deepen collaboration with Ghana through trade, diplomacy, investment, knowledge sharing, and others to support bthe growth and development of the two countries.
