According to him, the key to the prosperity and wealth of nations lies in the quality of their entrepreneurs and not the nations’ natural resources as many believe.

"Otherwise how do you explain that Japan, with absolutely no natural resource, is the second or third most powerful nation in the world and you consider many African countries that control virtually all the strategic natural resources in the world to be poor?”

Meeting the giants of industry

At the maiden edition of “Meeting the Giants of Industry Evening Encounter” in Accra last Wednesday, the minister of trade said Ghanaians must take entrepreneurship seriously to propel the country’s development.

The encounter, organised by EMPRETEC Ghana Foundation, is an informal platform for entrepreneurs to learn from big shots in the industry to help them grow and expand.

About 100 entrepreneurs attended the event which was sponsored by Prudential Bank.

“There is something in entrepreneurship that as Ghanaians we ought to appreciate if we want to move forward,” Mr Kyerematen said, and commended EMPRETEC Ghana for creating the platform for young entrepreneurs to excel.

Free entrepreneurship training

The CEO of EMPRETEC Ghana, Mr Emmanuel Dei-Tumi, said the foundation would offer free training to entrepreneurs, as part of its efforts to support their growth.

That, he said, would be done in collaboration with Invest in Africa (IIA), a not-for-profit organisation with the vision of creating thriving African economies.

Experience

The CEO of Margins Group, Mr Moses Baiden, who shared his experience as an entrepreneur, recounted his early years in the venture and how passion, persistence and perseverance had been a driving force of his achievements.

He urged entrepreneurs to be strong in the face of adversity and refuse to allow failure to discourage them from pursuing their dreams, saying: “When you fall, get up, restrategise and continue.”

The Deputy Managing Director (Banking Operations) of Prudential Bank, Mr Richard Acolatse, said the bank, since its inception, had provided support for small and medium enterprises and would continue to collaborate with institutions such as EMPRETEC to offer more support.