KNUST’s Mchan Organics win African varsities startups contest

A students’ start-up  group, Mchan Organics from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST),  has emerged winner of the Innovation for African Universities (IAU) 2023 Demo Day Competition. 

Pitching a sustainable business idea of recycling cocoa potash to make soaps and repellents as a way to prevent the negative impact cocoa pods posed to the environment, the group beat 14 other start-ups to win the ultimate prize.

They were awarded GH¢40,000 worth of product service development support, a start-up toolkit, a certificate, a plaque and six months of access to a pool of experts based on their start-up needs.

The other start-up winners were Eduvara and Smart Farm, who took home GH¢30,000 and GH¢15,000 each worth of support toolkits, certificates and a plaque for taking second and third place winners respectively.

The participating institutions were KNUST, the University of Ghana (UG), Legon and the University of Cape Coast (UCC). 

Demo day

Addressing the participants in the final of the competition, the Vice-Chancellor of UG, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah-Amfo, explained that the project, which was in its third phase, was aimed at creating a platform to nurture and equip student entrepreneurs with the requisite training to navigate the Ghanaian entrepreneurial landscape.

The initiative, she said, was funded by the British Council, with support from the Impact Hub Accra and Imperial College London, to encourage an innovative and entrepreneurial culture within African universities and to make it easier for students to acquire the skills they need to start their businesses and develop new products and services.

“Innovation has always been the driving force of progress and societal development and this event represents a momentous landmark in our collective journey towards nurturing the innovative and entrepreneurial potential among the bright minds that make up our academic institutions,” she said.

The Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Research, Innovation and Development at UG, Prof Felix Asante, commended the participants for their determination to build entrepreneurial ventures from scratch, as he encouraged them to have an open mind to learn from all peers and create valuable connections that could move their ventures to new heights.

He further urged them to embrace the spirit of collaboration to make positive impacts on society.

The Founder of Design Technology Institute (DTI), Constance Swaniker, encouraged the participants to have positive mindsets, knowing that they would succeed in the ventures they had chosen.

She stated that only disciplined individuals strive in their endeavours; thus, it was important for them to be self-disciplined in exhibiting positive work ethics to have efficient and effective results in their ventures.

Mrs Swaniker further advised that the start-up identify their mistakes as lessons and work on them to build resilient companies that could stand the test of time.

The Country Director of the British Council, Nii Dodoo Dodoo, assured the institutions of the council’s commitment to ensuring that student entrepreneurs were encouraged in innovative and entrepreneurial culture among educational institutions in the country.