Monrovia- Five Liberian businesses including LIBRA Sanitation, Wungko’s farm, Nimba Ventures, Redimere chocolate and Lunch Box have secured funding from UNDP geared to improving their local businesses as part of UNDP Liberia’s Growth Accelerator program, implemented by iCampus.
The Growth Accelerator Liberia is an initiative aimed at supporting impactful entrepreneurs to scale up their venture through access to technical assistance, mentorship and co-financing.
The program was organized by iCampus Liberia in partnership with Accountability Lab Liberia, BSC-Monrovia and the GrowthAfrica with support and funding from the Ministry of Commerce & Industry and UNDP Liberia.
The five businesses were selected from a group of ten semifinalists who were shortlisted to pitch their business proposal plans in front of a high-power judging panel as part of the program’s last stage on Tuesday.
The ten local semifinalists were the Evergreen Enterprise, represented by its Chief Executive Officer, Verity Sonkarlay, Wungko’s Farm, represented by CEO Paul Wungko, Modern Agro, Gerorge Willicor, Kodah Enterprise: Joseph Kodah Ma-Bandu’s Steel Mill – CEO Prince Bunadin; and Jared Lankah of Nimba Ventures.
Other include Daniel Samoi, CEO Yourtsarnor Enterprise and George Howe, CEO LIBRA Sanitation were shortlisted to pitch their business proposal plans in front of a high-power judging panel as part of the program last stage to secure five winners.
According to the CEO of iCampus Liberia, Luther Jeke, the ten semi-finalists were shortlisted from more than 167 applications from nine counties.
Said Mr. Jeke: “Each venture representative pitched for ten-minutes on the stage in the presence of high-level judging panel comprised of senior experts, seasoned entrepreneurs and ventures capitalists, the 10 semi-finalists over the last six months have participated in a series of business development workshops, boot camps and training.”
A six-person high-level judging panel comprising ECOBANK Liberia Chief Executive Officer, Mr. George Mensah, Agriculture Minister, Madam Jeanine Cooper and other senior experts, seasoned entrepreneurs and ventures’ capitalists went through the business asset model, profitability and socio-economic impact. They eventually selected LIBRA Sanitation, Wungko’s farm, Nimba Ventures, Redimere chocolate and Lunch Box as the five finalists of this year’s UNDP Growth Accelerator program.
For her part, the Minister of Agriculture, Mrs. Jeanine Cooper extended thanks to iCampus, Accountability Lab and UNDP for investing in local businesses on behalf of the Government of Liberia.
Also speaking the Resident coordinator of UNDP used the program to inspire the entrepreneurs of Liberia as the present and future of Liberia’s economic growth and development.