Held at the Labadi Beach Hotel under the theme ‘Gen Z Impact: Skills, Money and Mindset’, Telecel Business Runway brought together young business founders, content creators, experts and youth policymakers for a day of practical learning, discussions, networking, and product showcases.

Small business owners gained access to free on-site business registration services by the Registrar General’s Office, tax system orientation by the Ghana Revenue Authority, candid founder talks, panel discussions on finance and social media marketing and a free vendor market highlighting innovative products from small businesses.

Opening the event, the CEO of Telecel Ghana, Ing. Patricia Obo-Nai challenged the audience of young founders to embrace skills, money, and mindset as core building blocks for business success. “The mission for SME Month is to back young entrepreneurs like you with the skills, networks, visibility, and digital tools to grow. We believe skills, money, and mindset are the three essentials for business growth and today is about giving you these tactics to apply right now.”

The programme featured insights from Sam Rodgers, Country Manager of Wild Fusion Ghana, who broke down how to design content strategy that converts to growth; content creator Kojo Junior, who spoke on authenticity and digital storytelling; Jahzara Agyemang, CEO of JTE Business Consult, who guided attendees through grant opportunities; Nelson Amo, CEO of Innohub and Edward Mawudem, Head of SME Banking at Absa Bank who both demystified investor expectations and capital selection for small businesses.

Young entrepreneurs, Baaba Ankrah of GOBA Kente and Joey Lit of Free the Youth shared candid stories of their journeys focusing on the art of pivoting careers and breaking the comparison syndrome in business.

Government lent its weight to the event, with the Deputy Director at the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment, Mohammed Saani Adams, stressing the Ministry’s strong commitment to youth development, particularly entrepreneurship. “We promise you that the Ministry is strongly passionate about youth development, specifically entrepreneurship and will ensure the institutionalisation of SMEs so our youth can drive the economy of Ghana.”

Beyond the forum, the day focused on real tools and products for entrepreneurs. Telecel Ghana explained its three new connectivity products tailored to SMEs and experts offered practical sessions on taxation, funding, and content creation. Attendees also had the chance to ask questions of the experts and connect directly with business regulators.

Genevieve Dzifa Akpalu, founder of The AG Shop which sells hand-made jewelry and beauty accessories, said she has successfully registered her business and better understands the tax expectations as well as how to file them. “I’m leaving with a registered business, a roadmap to apply for grants, file taxes and even secured new customers from the vendor market for my products. This is a great opportunity.”

As part of SME Month, Telecel Ghana launched three tailored connectivity products to help SMEs stay connected, reach customers, and compete in today’s digital economy. It includes the Boss Plan - an integrated voice, data and social media bundle with a digital marketing campaign tool, One Business Mobile - a complete solution for small teams that brings together, competitive sharable data, calls and SMS across all networks, and a reloaded Your Business Online service – a package with unlimited web pages, business email addresses and domain name registration.

Now in its ninth year, Telecel’s SME Month continues to grow as a cornerstone of Ghana’s entrepreneurship ecosystem. The annual celebration reflects Telecel’s broader push to empower small and medium enterprises with connectivity, digital tools, and access to opportunities.