As part of efforts to promote economic diversification and sustainable business growth in Obuasi, AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Mine has launched a nationwide business exposure tour for local entrepreneurs under its Business Acceleration & Sustainability (BAST) initiative.
The BAST initiative, a component of the Obuasi Mine’s broader Enterprise Development Programme under the 10-year Social and Economic Development Plan (SEDP), is being implemented in partnership with Absa Bank Ghana and the Mastercard Foundation.
It is designed to empower local micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) by supporting their formalisation, improving financial literacy, providing financial assistance, and facilitating practical learning through exposure to successful businesses across Ghana.
So far, over 150 MSMEs have been enrolled in the programme.
Fully sponsored by AngloGold Ashanti, participants have toured thriving business hubs in Accra, Kumasi, and Takoradi, where they have interacted with seasoned entrepreneurs and learned from their journeys.
Mr. Daniel Arthur Bentum, Economic Development Superintendent of AngloGold Ashanti, explaining the rationale behind the initiative, revealed that a diagnostic assessment of local businesses highlighted significant operational gaps limiting their growth and market access.
The business exposure tour was subsequently introduced to bridge these gaps and broaden participants’ perspectives.
“The exposure tours have opened the eyes of our entrepreneurs in Obuasi to know how others started, their challenges and how they succeeded in surmounting those challenges,” he stated.
Mr. Kwadwo Berko Appaw, Monitoring and Evaluation Manager for the Absa-Mastercard partnership, emphasised that many Obuasi-based businesses have strong potential but require targeted support to scale.
He said their partnership with AngloGold Ashanti was rooted in the belief that with the right training, financial support, and exposure, these businesses could become sustainable and even outgrow their current ownership.
Mr. Solomon Amoako Acheampong, CEO of Golden Land Logistics, described the tour as an “eye-opener” and a valuable opportunity to “learn, unlearn, and relearn.”
He praised AngloGold Ashanti for its wide array of business development programmes and encouraged the youth of Obuasi to actively engage with them.
Rev. Father Emmanuel Sarpong, CEO of Semperi Paratus Farms, highlighted the impact of visiting businesses that started from humble beginnings, saying that they had embraced new ways of doing things, especially leveraging technology.
Through the BAST initiative and other development programmes, AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Mine continues to demonstrate its commitment to empowering local entrepreneurs and fostering long-term economic growth in Obuasi and beyond.
GNA
