The Coalition for Positive Impact announces its newest class of young entrepreneurs from Northern Ghana — 20 fellows who have already begun their journey.
We are proud to announce the Igniting Dreams 2026 Fellowship cohort, 20 brilliant young entrepreneurs from across Northern Ghana who have been selected through a rigorous multi-stage process and have officially begun their training with CPI and the Mastercard Foundation.
In addition to training and mentorship, all 20 fellows will receive funding between GHS5,000 and GHS100,000 to grow their businesses.
Who They Are
The 2026 cohort is young, educated, and rooted across all five administrative regions of Northern Ghana.
70% of the cohort are women, 14 female fellows and 6 male, making this a female-majority class and a direct reflection of CPI’s commitment to centring women in entrepreneurship development. Female representation extends across every region in the cohort, with the North East Region achieving 100% female representation among its three selected fellows.
Regionally, the Northern Region leads with 9 fellows (45%), followed by the North East, Upper East, and Upper West Regions with 3 fellows each (15%), and the Savannah Region with 2 fellows (10%). Every target region is represented, a result of deliberate action to foster regional balance and inclusion.
In age, the cohort ranges from 20 to 33 years, with a mean age of 25.15 years. Sixty percent of fellows fall between 23 and 28 years, placing this squarely in the early-career stage, founders who are already building, and who arrived here with momentum.
Academically, 80% of the cohort hold at least a bachelor’s degree, including two fellows with postgraduate qualifications. At the same time, the cohort includes fellows with diplomas, certificates, and vocational backgrounds — a deliberate signal that Igniting Dreams is not a programme for the already-privileged. It is a programme for the ready.
By sector, agribusiness is the dominant industry, representing 65% of the cohort, and female fellows lead within it. Beyond agriculture, the cohort brings businesses in technology, manufacturing, food, health, and fashion, with the Northern Region recording the highest sectoral diversity. Technology, notably, is female-driven in this cohort.
The People Behind the Numbers
Every data point in this cohort represents a founder with a clear reason for being here.
For Bruce Kambotuu of Skylark, the decision to apply came from an honest assessment of where passion meets its limits. “My journey in leadership and development has shown me that passion alone is not enough,” he says. “I need structured business knowledge, mentorship, and investment readiness to build sustainable ventures.” What drew him specifically to CPI was its intentionality, in his words, the programme is “not just a funding platform, but a system that equips young entrepreneurs with the skills, mentorship and exposure needed to build viable businesses that create jobs and transform communities.”
That same clarity echoes through the cohort. Ayariba Isabella, founder of CitruStore, joined with a precise goal in mind: “I want to gain the right skills, mindset and strategy to grow CitruStore into a sustainable business.” What she values most about CPI is the same thing many fellows cite: “CPI focuses not just on funding, but on mentorship, skill-building and developing the right entrepreneurial mindset.”
These are not aspirational statements. They are the voice of a cohort that arrived hungry and already building.
What Comes Next
The Fellowship is structured across five phases, each designed to move fellows from early-stage founders to investment-ready entrepreneurs.
Phase 1 — Virtual Business Development Training is already underway. Fellows are working through a structured curriculum covering business modelling, value proposition, and growth strategy.
Phase 2 — One-Week In-Person Boot Camp brings the cohort together in Wa for an intensive residential experience with mentors and peers. Here, they’ll get out of the room and further validate their businesses with real customers.
Phase 3 — Igniting Dreams Summit is our annual 2-day event where fellows pitch their businesses before investors, ecosystem leaders, and partners from across Ghana and beyond.
Phase 4 — 6-Month Accelerator provides the top 10 performing fellows with seed funding and continued support to position their ventures for investment and secure key partnerships.
Phase 5 — Niibala Alliance welcomes graduating fellows into a growing network of Igniting Dreams alumni, a lifelong ecosystem of collaboration, support, and shared growth.
A Movement, Not Just a Programme
Since 2019, Igniting Dreams has empowered over 5,000 young people, funded 50 entrepreneurs, and created more than 400 jobs across Northern Ghana. The 2026 cohort carries that legacy forward — 20 founders from communities where entrepreneurship is not a trend, but a necessity, and where the right support can turn an idea into a livelihood.
We look forward to sharing their stories.
The program is supported by the Mastercard Foundation, Sangu Delle Foundation, Noni Hub, mNotify, and other social impact organizations.
Applications for the fellowship open annually in January. Join the waitlist at cpimpact.org/ignitingdreams.
Register to attend the Igniting Dreams Summit 2026 at https://id.cpimpact.org/register/.
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