Facebook as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme has hosted about 40 African youth leaders and entrepreneurs in Accra to give them opportunity to network and build business relationships.
The objective of the programme was to honour the African youth leaders and entrepreneurs for their ingenuity and the impact they were making in their respective societies.
Under the ‘Celebrating Icons of Change’ programme participants for the two-day event were drawn from countries such as Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa.
As part of the programme, the participants were taken through workshops and topics such as digital marketing, how to build their business to further give them tips and strategies to boost their businesses as well as start new ones.
Deputy Minister of Communications, Vincent Sowah Odotei in his remarks urged the youth to take advantage of the current digital and technological revolution to create their own businesses.
He said the current digital and technological wave presented a lot of opportunities which the youth must tap to establish their own businesses.
The, world currently, he said was becoming a digital and technological world where business transactions were done electronically.
The Deputy Minister of Communications said the government was committed to turning Ghana a digital economy and deepening digital penetration in the country.
He said the President’s agenda of Ghana beyond Aid would to a large extent be achieved through digital technology.
Mr Odotei disclosed that about 95 per cent of the country would have access to internet by the end of next year, saying government was deploying the necessary Information and Communication Technology infrastructure to achieve that objective.
The Facebook Head of Communications for Sub-Saharan Africa, Kezia Anim-Addo in her remarks said the programme was to celebrate the Young African Leaders and entrepreneurs.
She said the programme was also to create a platform for them to network and build business relationships.
“Our commitment at Facebook is to build a digital community and create business relationship,” she said.
Ms Anim-Addo expressed the programme would encourage some of the participants to create their own business and build business relationships.
The Head of Communications for Sub-Saharan Africa encouraged the participants to use digital channels and technology to promote their business.
By Kingsley Asare
