Business News of Sunday, 22 April 2012Source: GNA Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Zoomlion Limited, has been adjudged the overall Best Entrepreneur of the Year 2011 Ghana Entrepreneur Awards in Accra on Saturday.

The Ghana Entrepreneur Awards aims to honour outstanding Ghanaian entrepreneurs for their contribution to economic growth and job creation in the country.

The initiative was also to reward the capabilities of entrepreneurs running Small and Medium Enterprises, to encourage more people to get into entrepreneurship, as well as support existing entrepreneurs in creating jobs.

In addition, it would increase trade in the country and promote innovation, by taking a cue from the development experience of countries like, USA, China, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and India where Small and Medium Enterprises have been the backbone of their economies.

The event on the theme: ““Unleashing Entrepreneurial Capabilities To Meet The Global Challenges Of The 21st Century,” was jointly organised by Entrepreneur Foundation of Ghana (EFG), Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, National Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Deloitte and Touche.

This year’s Awards honoured 38 prominent entrepreneurs, who have exhibited superior performance that has helped them to emerge out of poverty, create jobs and added value to society.

Mr Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah, Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, who represented the Vice President John Dramani Mahama, expressed Government’s willingness to promote the spirit of entrepreneurship among the youth.

He said an effective and active collaboration between companies and the universities and polytechnics to provide entrepreneurial clinics would help whip the interest of the youth in self-employment and creation of companies.

“Most students these days graduate from school with the set mind to work only in so call big companies. Some of these young people can become successful entrepreneurs with the right paradigm shift, and mentoring from renowned entrepreneurs”, Mr Afriyie-Ankrah said.

He called on big companies and established organizations to support young people by giving them percentages of their contracts and supporting them with money, experience and exposure.

Mr Sam Ato Gaisie, Chief Executive Officer of EFG, encouraged the youth to take up entrepreneurship to develop themselves and create jobs for others.

He asked Ghanaian entrepreneurs to strive to get to the top in the 21st Century through joint partnership and other forms of capital to compete with other countries.

Mr Gaisie appealed to institutions to support the foundation in honouring prominent entrepreneurs in the country.**