The Chairman of the McDan Group of Companies, Daniel McKorley, has donated GH¢200,000 to the Volta Youth Development Fund at the Volta YouthFest, with a commitment to make contributions annually.
Speaking as the guest speaker at the event, Mr. McKorley addressed young people from across the Volta Region, touching on his foundation’s focus on practical support rather than rhetoric.
“We are here for impact. Joint creation is our ultimate. We are here to create a difference. We are here to move the youth to the next level. You are the future of the Volta Region,” he said.
Mr. McKorley praised the region’s human capital, describing it as an area of immense potential that requires nurturing.
“The Volta Region is endowed with a lot of natural resources. But most importantly, the Volta Region, which I really admire, is a human skills hub. You have more skills than you think you have, and the future is yours,” he told the gathering.
He announced that beyond the financial donation, selected entrepreneurs from the region would receive mentoring and financing to advance their businesses.
“We are going to pick some entrepreneurs and support them by mentoring and financing them” Mr. McKorley said.
The businessman revealed that his organisation has already provided support to some youth in the Volta Region through his foundation. He noted that the GH¢200,000 donation was not a one-off gesture but the beginning of sustained support.
“This is not the end of it. The McDan Group will give 200,000. Every year, we will be contributing something to the fund,” Mr. McKorley said.
The donation to the Volta Youth Development Fund adds to a long history of philanthropic work by the McDan Foundation across Ghana.
The foundation has constructed multiple school blocks in deprived communities. In 2019, it handed over a newly built school block at Teong in the Tempane District of the Upper East Region, transforming a community that previously studied under trees. The school was subsequently named McDan Primary School by community leaders.
The McDan Scholarship Scheme currently supports over 300 students across various universities and tertiary institutions in Ghana. In June 2025, ten new students from Zongo communities in Kumasi were inducted into the scheme, receiving full funding for their tertiary education.
The foundation runs the McDan Entrepreneurship Challenge and Youth Connect programme, which provides funding and mentorship to young business owners. In 2021, it commissioned the Alkoh Shea butter factory in the North East Region, handing it over to Alhassan Hamza Akoligo, winner of the maiden edition of the challenge. The factory was established to boost shea butter production and empower women in the Nasia community.
At the third edition of the McDan Youth Connect programme in Kumasi in October 2025, ten finalists pitched their business ideas, with the Tenaso Youth Team winning GH¢20,000 for their citronella oil production project. Past winners have included SAYETECH, a group of KNUST graduates assembling grain threshers for smallholder farmers, who received GH¢10,000 in 2022.
The foundation has consistently supported vulnerable groups. In March 2025, in collaboration with RIDNE Food Consortium of Ukraine, it presented food items including wheat flour, canned turkey meat, and rice to thousands of widows in James Town, Accra. Health screenings were also provided, with prescriptions and medications dispensed free of charge.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the foundation donated GH¢400,000 worth of rice to support Muslim chiefs during Ramadan, including the Ya Na’s palace in Yendi and the Dakpema Palace in Tamale.
The McDan Youth Connect series has been held in various regions, offering mentorship and business insights to young Ghanaians. In June 2024, McKorley visited the Simon Diedong Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies in Wa, where students participated in a business idea pitching competition, with the winner receiving GH¢10,000.
Dr. McKorley has consistently encouraged young people to embrace entrepreneurship alongside formal education, stating that “the university years offer a unique window to try, fail, and grow without the heavy responsibilities that often come later in life.
His philanthropic work has earned him traditional titles. He was enskinned as the Gubgbaa-Naa (Unity Chief) by the late Chief of Tamale, Dakpema Mohammed Dawuni Alhassan, in recognition of his support for the youth. He has also been enskinned as a development chief in Ada under the stool name Nene Koranteng Kabu 1.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com