The Africa Health Collaborative at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi has launched a 10-day Community-Based Training (CBT) programme in Health Entrepreneurship for its first cohort of trainees this year, marking the fourth year of the initiative delivered in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation.
The intensive programme is designed to equip emerging health professionals with entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial skills to help transform Ghana’s health delivery system.
Welcoming participants at the opening session, Project Manager Eva Boakye Yiadom said the training seeks to challenge conventional thinking within the health sector.
“We have gathered here to learn, explore, unlearn, and leave with a completely new mindset,” she said. “All we are asking of you is an open mind. Whatever knowledge you have is good but be willing to learn more.”
She pointed to what she described as a persistent gap in the health workforce, where many graduates focus primarily on securing government employment.
“Our goal, in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation, is to empower a health workforce that thinks beyond traditional employment structures,” she said. “By the time you leave here, your mindset will have changed for the better.”
Lead Facilitator Dr. Isaac Tweneboa-Koduah described the programme as a “total transformation” designed to reposition health professionals as innovators and change-makers.
“It’s going to be a total transformation,” he said. “If we want to transform Ghana’s health delivery system, it depends on all of us.”
Drawing on practical examples, he noted that private healthcare facilities often outperform public institutions because of a culture rooted in responsibility, efficiency and business-oriented thinking.
“When patients walk into a facility, the mindset must be that you are responsible for their wellbeing. That shift in thinking makes the difference,” he said.
The training will cover the foundations of health entrepreneurship, pathways to health prosperity through entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship, a Health Hybrid Business Model Canvas, and strategies for managing health businesses. Participants will be encouraged to identify pressing health challenges, design scalable solutions and explore viable ventures that could emerge during the programme.
“It is possible that before the end of these 10 days, some of you will identify a problem, design a solution, and begin building a health enterprise,” Dr. Tweneboa-Koduah said.
He added that even participants who pursue traditional employment must adopt intrapreneurial thinking by embracing efficiency, accountability and solution-driven approaches within their organisations.
The sessions are being facilitated by a multidisciplinary team including Gifty Afi Cudjoe, Richard Ntim Agyare and Mohammed Maahi.
Closing the opening session, Mohammed Maahi urged participants to take full advantage of the opportunity.
“You have already demonstrated commitment by being here,” he said. “We are here to acquire skills and make impact. Take advantage of the opportunity to network and socialise, it is part of the training.”
The Community-Based Training forms part of the Africa Health Collaborative’s broader strategy to strengthen Africa’s health ecosystem by nurturing innovative, impact-driven professionals and shifting the focus of training from employment-seeking to solution-creating.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com