WIUC Entrepreneurship Week: NEIP CEO Kofi Nkansah calls on universities to collaborate with start-ups

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), Kofi Ofosu Nkansah has called on all universities in the country to build collaborations with start-ups to provide links for business students.

He made the call on Wednesday, April 19, while speaking as the main speaker at an event at Wisconsin International University College (WIUC) organised by the University’s Business School as part of the maiden Entrepreneurship Week celebration.

In his address on the theme; ‘The role of Business Schools and Industry in developing the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators’, Kofi Ofosu Nkansah said Universities have to set up their innovation support activities on campus to help students generate ideas.

He argued that this way, students will come up with various prototypes which can then be commercialised into products which can be sold or even exported to the international market.

While insisting that universities should have innovation labs on campus, the NEIP boss was quick to stress the need for universities to collaborate with the start-up and entrepreneurial community.

“There is also a need for the universities to collaborate with the startups and the entrepreneurship ecosystem to provide this business development support for the ecosystem. The knowledge is in the universities, the knowledge is in the business schools so how are the universities collaborating with the Ghana hubs network, the startup community, and all the other groups to ensure that when they are doing the training, the marketing and the strategy and business courses are done by the universities.

“So there is the need for us to create channels and have linkages with the startup groups,” Kofi Ofosu Nkansah said.

Going on to admonish universities to inculcate in students the forming of partnerships, the NEIP CEO urged students of the Wisconsin International University College Business School to welcome the idea and build partnerships on campus.

Before ending his address, Kofi Ofosu Nkansah assured Wisconsin International University College that he will through his outfit support the school to set up its Innovation Hub.

“To conclude, there is a focus on building an entrepreneurial state that empowers young people to be bold, innovative, proactive and dynamic to contribute to the economic transformation of our country and academia and industry have a critical role to play to help the government to achieve this to help us create jobs for the youth, reduce importation through our import substitution programmes and also achieve fiscal consolidation for the country so that we stop going to IMF to borrow.

“I want to assure you that we will do whatever we can to support your innovation Centre and forge a strong partnership with Wisconsin University,” Kofi Ofosu Nkansah emphasised.

Even before receiving the good news, the President of Wisconsin University College, Prof. Obeng Mireku had in his welcome address stressed the readiness of the school to partner with NEIP.

He added that the school is also ready to work with government to help in promoting entrepreneurship in the country.

Recognising the many efforts by government, Prof. Obeng Mireku used the platform to appeal to government to help Wisconsin International University College establish the school’s innovation Centre.

Having congratulated the Dean of the University’s Business School, heads of department and students for putting together the maiden Entrepreneurial Week, the President assured that the university remains poised to train students to become assets to the country.

“The key aspiration of the university is to churn out students who will be beneficial to society. We aim to provide students that are fit for purpose, ready and prepared for the demands of the modern world

“Today’s forum is one of many initiatives of the University to partner with industry to enhance the capabilities of students to take on the world,” Prof. Obeng Mireku noted.

As part of activities to mark the maiden Entrepreneurship Week, the Business School will on Friday, April 21, host a competition dubbed; the Shark Tank Wisconsin.

It is a pitching competition open to students from all faculties to select and reward students with the best original business ideas.

Before the competition on Friday, there will be a free pitching workshop on Thursday, April 20.