The Ghana Innovation Hub
The client and the challenge
Starting a business in Ghana is one thing. Keeping it alive is another. The survival rate of small and medium enterprises in Africa can be lower than 40%. Entrepreneurs face shrinking markets, dried-up cash flow, insufficient buffers against unexpected events, and difficulty reinvesting profits while managing family financial needs. For many, the support to navigate those pressures simply does not exist.
One response to that reality was the Ghana Innovation Hub, established in 2018 by MDF, BlueSpace Africa and the Ghana Communication Technology University (GCTU), with support from the World Bank through Ghana's Ministry of Communications. The hub was built to give entrepreneurs in Ghana a permanent space and structured support to start, test and grow their businesses.
The approach: Co-working, incubation, and acceleration
The hub offered entrepreneurs three entry points depending on where they were in their business journey: co-working facilities for those needing a professional space, a three-month incubation programme for early-stage businesses, and a six-month acceleration programme for those ready to grow faster.
Beyond the programmes, the hub connected businesses with investors through investment matchmaking, brought entrepreneurs together through networking and exchange events, and provided practical business tools and policy briefs. The goal was not one-off assistance but sustained support that could help businesses move through different stages and come out more resilient on the other side.
