'The Assistance Hub' holds startup summit for businesses in agric-digitization

'The Assistance Hub', a leading Youth and Women empowerment centre in Tamale, has held a startup summit to create the opportunity for businesses in Agricultural Digitization to pitch and solicit support to launch their businesses.

The event was held on Saturday on the theme "Digitizing Agriculture for Business Development and Job Creation in Northern Region."

It was attended by many businesses especially the youth and women in agriculture digitisation.

Four businesses such as Tiyumba Agro, Rolex Pepper, Mean Group and Agrotech pitched their innovative Agric digitisation solutions supervised by three judges.

'Tiyumba Agro' emerged winner at the end of the pitching and would represent the Northern Region at the National Summit in Accra.

The Team Lead for 'The Assistance Hub', Madam Humu-Hani Adam, in an interview with this reporter on the sidelines of the summit, said there were many opportunities for people in agric-digitisation, and urged women to take advantage of the opportunities to grow their businesses.

She explained that the Summit named "Sagnerigu Startup Summit" was part of the Base Project under the Ghana Tech Lab (GTL), a project that equips startups with the needed skills and tools to grow their businesses, supported by the World Bank, Ministry of Communication and Digitalisation, Young Africa Works, Kumasi HIVI, Inohub and the Accra Digital Centre.

She stated that the 'Hub' since its establishment, has trained many youths and women in diverse ventures to help them grow their startups and businesses.

"GTL runs several programs, but we are on a contract with them just on the BASE program, which is a Web development program, and the Hub had the opportunity to choose either WebApp development or Mobile App development. But for 'The Assistance Hub, we went in for the WebApp development program that digitalises agriculture," she stated.

She expressed gratitude to the World Bank, MasterCard Foundation, the Ghana Tech Lab and the Ministry of Communication and Digitization for assisting them to organise the summit.

"I wish to thank our partners, the World Bank, Young Africa Works, Master Card Foundation, Ministry of Communication and Digitisation and the GTL for supporting us," she said.

The Women In Agriculture Development (WIAD) Officer at the Department of Agriculture for the Northern Region, Madam Dennis Amponsah, in her keynote address, urged the youth and women to venture into agriculture.

She also thanked The Assistance Hub for the initiative and advised startups in the region to take advantage of the opportunity to help them grow into bigger companies.