Igniting Dreams Program Overview
Igniting Dreams is an entrepreneurship development program for young entrepreneurs in Northern Ghana.
Since 2019, over 1,700 young individuals across all 5 regions in Northern Ghana have participated in this program. 40 brilliant young entrepreneurs have also received seed capital to grow their businesses, resulting in over 300 job opportunities for unemployed youth.
1700+
Youth Impacted
65%
Women Beneficiaries
300+
Jobs Created
40+
Entrepreneurs Funded
Igniting Dreams Components
What makes Igniting Dreams?
Entrepreneurship and Leadership Training, Business Pitch Contest, Glamorous Awards Dinner, and Tourism. Attend Igniting Dreams and bring your dreams to life
Igniting Dreams Fellowship
The Fellowship provides business development training to selected young entrepreneurs from underserved Northern Ghana. These fellows are budding entrepreneurs between the ages of 15 – 35 with a burning desire to build world-class businesses and create positive impact in their communities.
This year, 10 – 20 brilliant young entrepreneurs will be selected to participate in a 3-month hybrid fellowship that is climaxed with a 1-week boot camp in Wa, Ghana.
The purpose of the fellowship is to help the selected entrepreneurs to refine their business models, develop their theory of change and set their businesses up for profitability and growth.
Igniting Dreams Summit
The Igniting Dreams Summit is a high-level, impactful platform for networking and quality dialogue and discussions on key issues of entrepreneurship, investment, technology, innovation, and development. Fellows pitch their businesses at the Summit, where they stand a chance to win seed funding for their ventures or investments from investors in the room.
The Summit features keynote speeches, panel discussions, breakout and networking sessions, business pitch contest and an awards dinner, where the igniting dreams prize winners are announced.
Igniting Dreams Prize
The Igniting Dreams Prize is a seed capital that is awarded to the top most promising entrepreneurs of every fellowship cohort. This year, the top 5 – 10 entrepreneurs will receive the prize.
The prize also includes a 6-month virtual business accelerator aimed at helping the prize winners to further develop and benchmark their business models against world-class standards and build their financial models, therefore positioning their ventures for further investment and job creation.
Who is eligible?
Eligibility & Application
Igniting Dreams Fellowship
If you’re a promising young entrepreneur from Northern Ghana seeking mentorship, funding, and business growth, seize this opportunity to accelerate your business.
Learn more about how to be part of the next generation of Africa’s budding entrepreneurs!
Who is eligible to apply?
The Igniting Dreams Program does not discriminate against applicants because of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, geographic location, education, income, socio-economic status, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other circumstance. The Fellowship is committed to fairness, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.
Anyone who meets the following criteria is eligible to apply:
1. Your business should be established within the last three(3) years.
2. Applicants aged 15 to 35 years are eligible to participate.
3. Be located in or hail from any of the 5 regions of Northern Ghana.
4. Your business operates primarily in Northern Ghana.
5. Be available to attend a virtual training (Oct-Dec 2024) and physical boot camp in Wa in December 2024.
6. Businesses within all industries are welcome to apply.
7. Your business should show potential to create jobs and positively influence society.
8. Young women and persons with disabilities are highly encouraged to apply.
Application and Selection Timeline
September 9, 2024 | Application opens
September 30, 2024 | Application deadline
October 2024 | Semi-finalists interviewed by Igniting Dreams Prize Team
November 2024 | Applicants are notified of their status and Fellowship begins
Get involved?
Sponsors and Partners
Opportunities for Sponsors and Partners
Igniting Dreams provides crucial promise for businesses to reach new and quality consumers from key multi-industry sectors across Northern Ghana and beyond. Take advantage of this opportunity by sponsoring the Igniting Dreams 2025 program.
We will work together with you to create customized sponsorship packages that speak to your specific business needs.
For Partnerships or Sponsorships
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Igniting Dreams Program?
Igniting Dreams (ID) is an annual entrepreneurship development program that provides business development training, mentorship, and startup capital for young entrepreneurs in underserved Northern Ghana to help them build thriving businesses and create jobs. The program was first launched in January 2019. Since then, six(6) successful editions have been organized.
My business isn’t registered, can I still apply?
Yes, the program is open to all businesses, whether registered or not.
I have a business idea, can I also apply?
No, the Igniting Dreams program doesn’t support business ideas. It only supports existing businesses.
Can my co-founder attend the boot camp on my behalf?
Yes, your co-founder can attend the boot camp on your behalf.
How much funding does the program give?
Funding amounts vary from year to year based on the availability of funding. The Gold Prize winner of 2024 received GHS 12,000.