Mr Charles Clifford Brobbey, a Social Entrepreneur, has called on the Government to create a culture and market support system for technology (tech) innovations and start-ups to thrive in the country.
He said tech innovation start-ups did not receive the needed attention to flourish in Ghana and that creating a culture within the marketspace for investments into tech innovations was crucial.
That, he explained, would create more opportunities in terms of jobs, global opportunities, and impact in all facets of society.
“There must be a culture within the market that enforces innovation to thrive. There should be a deliberate effort for investors to receive business ideas and innovation without shelving or trashing such ideas. That will be an inspiration for them to grow,” he said in an interview with the Ghana News Agency when he and his team of innovators launched the “Klips App” in Accra.
Klips is a mobile application (app) that allows users to engage barbers, braiders, hair or makeup stylists either for in-shop or in-house booking services.
Expected to go live in February, the app comes in two versions: Klips-Customer for general users and Klips-Provider for service providers.
As a social enterprise aimed at giving back to the community, Klips Global Ltd as part of the launch featured several barbers, makeup artists and braiders including the popular “Abiba Locks,” volunteering free services to over 300 less-privileged children and teenagers from three orphanages in Accra.
Mr Brobbey said apart from the need for start-ups to be encouraged and motivated, creating the right conditions for entrepreneurs and social enterprises to thrive was essential for job creation in the country as unemployment rate continued to soar.
He said it was critical to create the right regulatory environment and increasing access to funding and other resources for start-ups whose ideas solved equally critical societal challenges.
“There are so many tech innovations in Ghana but aren’t getting the needed investments compared to Nigeria. Beyond their population, there must be a culture in Ghana that allows tech innovations to thrive. We have the ability,” he reiterated.
Mr Brobbey, the Chief Executive Officer of Klips Global Limited, said start-ups, entrepreneurs, and social enterprises were fast-emerging entities for alternative economy, adding that when traditional economic systems or market-based solutions fell short to ensure well-being in the society, social enterprises, entrepreneurs, and innovations helped solve such burgeoning societal challenges.
He noted that funding was by far the biggest challenge for social enterprises and start-ups and that the lack of funding, despite the societal benefits of tech innovations, led to the majority of such entities struggling to exist let alone record sustainable growth.
Speaking on the Klips idea, Mr Brobbey said due to the busy schedules of workers who sometimes travelled long distances to the barber, the idea of having a common platform to engage a verified barber at one’s convenience arose.
He noted that apart from giving back to the community particularly less privileged Children and people in general, Klips hoped to help inmates in selected orphanages by offering them entrepreneurial skills and opportunities.
GNA
SOF
31 Jan.2023
