Adnane Alaoui Soulimani
THE MOHAMMED VI Polytechnic University (UMVIP) in Morocco recently organized
an information session in Accra about Impulse – a best in-class start-up
acceleration programme – with support from the OCP Group and its subsidiary,
OCP Africa.
Designed with Mass Challenge, a global accelerator organization, Impulse
aims to sustain the ambitious innovation agenda of OCP Group and to accelerate the
development of innovative start-ups working on African challenges in the fields
of Agritech, Biotech, Mining Tech and Materials Science & Nanotech.
Speaking at the Ghana information session attended by various
stakeholders ranging from young entrepreneurs in agribusiness, venture
capitalists, farmers to corporate executives, Adnane Alaoui Soulimani, Impulse Programme
Director, stated: “Mohammed VI Polytechnic University is proud to have created,
together with Mass Challenge and OCP Group, a unique and outstanding value
proposition for start-ups working on African Challenges. We are also pleased to
be able to empower our own youth and entrepreneurs to invent our own future,
respecting our identities and following our own models of development. The
Impulse team has been delighted to be able to present and discuss the programme
offering with representatives from the Ghanaian start-up ecosystem. We look
forward to receiving applications from Ghanaian entrepreneurs to our programme.”
Founder of Trotro Tractor, Kamal, indicated that such an acceleration programme
would help propel his business to higher heights and expressed excitement that
OCP Africa is introducing Impulse to Agri-businesses in Ghana. He said: “Any
innovative initiative that seeks to support smallholder farmers must be
commended and supported.”
Paulina Ady Wiad, Director of Women in Agric, disclosed that the
government through other private organizations had trained women in tractor
operation and 60 of them would graduate from the training in the coming week.
Catherine Akpaloo, a farmer and a tractor operator in the Volta Region,
disclosed how technology helped her record increased yield and revenue in his
farm business. She said: “My parents are farmers and when I took over the
management of the farms, I adopted an innovation which helps identify pest and
diseases and reduce them so as to increase yield.”
