KNUST trains 100 in entrepreneurship at TTU, including eight persons with disabilities

The KNUST Nkabom Collaborative has trained 100 participants, including eight persons with disabilities, in entrepreneurship at Takoradi Technical University (TTU), as part of efforts to promote inclusive business development and economic independence.

The 10-day programme was organised under the Blended Partner University Entrepreneurship Training Programme of the Nutrition and Sustainable Agri-food Collaborative at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation.

Of the eight participants with disabilities, seven had hearing impairments and one had a visual impairment. Sign language interpreters were provided to support participants with hearing impairments during the training.

Manuela Ansah-Gogoe, a participant with a visual impairment, said the programme had helped her recognise how she could contribute to a business venture by working with people with different abilities and experiences. Her group developed a business idea focused on producing groundnut paste that meets food safety standards while creating a market for farmers who grow quality groundnuts.

The proposed business seeks to address aflatoxin contamination in groundnuts and help farmers bring their produce to market. Ansah-Gogoe said the training had made entrepreneurship more accessible to her but called for increased investment in assistive technologies to support participants with visual impairments.

Another participant, Ashata Odrago, who has a hearing impairment, said the sign language interpreter helped her understand the sessions as she learned more about starting a business.

TTU Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Ebenezer Boakye said the university was committed to improving educational opportunities and welfare for persons with disabilities. He disclosed that the university had previously provided free accommodation as partial scholarship support and was considering establishing a specialised learning centre equipped with assistive technologies.

Professor Boakye said the partnership with the KNUST Nkabom Collaborative could help advance the proposed centre and strengthen inclusive technical education and entrepreneurship training.

Professor Wilberforce Owusu-Ansah, the collaborative’s entrepreneurship pillar lead, said the participation of persons with disabilities was central to the programme’s inclusion objectives. He added that lessons from the training would inform efforts to make future programmes more accessible and responsive to participants’ needs.