CPI opens applications for its Igniting Dreams Prize

Coalition for Positive Impact (CPI), a youth-led Non-Governmental organization, has opened a call for applications for its flagship Igniting Dreams Prize that supports youth businesses to grow.

In its sixth year, the Igniting Dreams Prize is awarded to promising businesses that demonstrate potential, viability and validity through competitive selection processes as part of the CPI’s annual Igniting Dreams program.

Igniting Dreams is an entrepreneurship development program that seeks to nurture and support promising young entrepreneurs in Northern Ghana through leadership training, mentorship, seed funding, and business development support.

In a statement issued under the signature of the CPI Executive Director, Mr. Maazu Bayuoni indicated that each year, fellows are selected to undergo practical business development training for a period of time before winners of the prize are determined.

“In its in initial four editions, five (05) entrepreneurs were selected annually to join the Igniting Dreams Fellowship out of which, three (03) of them receive seed funding to scale up their businesses.

“Last year, the scope of the program was widened and ten (10) entrepreneurs were selected to join the Fellowship, out of which five (5) of them received seed funding for their businesses,” the statement read.

It said the prize is opened to young entrepreneurs in only the five regions of the north of Ghana who are aged between 15 and 35.

As part of the eligibility requirements for the fellowship, one’s business must be in existence for not more than 3 years, either registered or non-registered but primarily operates in Northern Ghana.

The fellowship is also opened to businesses within all industries and applicants must be available to attend the trainings and boot camps that would help them scale up their businesses.

Over the last five years, the Igniting Dreams program has supported 21 young entrepreneurs with seed funding to scale up their businesses, created numerous job opportunities, and reached several hundreds of young people in Northern Ghana and beyond.