TechnoServe Enhancing Growth in New Enterprises (ENGINE) Business Plan Competition 2017 for Ghanaians.

Application Deadline: 5pm on Friday 31st March 2017

Application Form: Download the Application Form for the Technoserve ENGINE Buisness Plan Competition

Enhancing Growth in New Enterprises Programme (ENGINE), a national Business Plan Competition and Entrepreneurship Development Programme.

ENGINE is a multiyear project implemented by TechnoServe with funding from the UK Government through the Department for International Development (DFID) that seeks to equip Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) with the necessary skills and resources to improve their business plans and internal operations, while creating a thriving community of entrepreneurs through increased access to business development services and to financing. The programme seeks to achieve its objectives through the following components:

1. Business Plan Competition (BPC) –
   Under the business plan competition, applicants will be asked to submit applications to participate in a 2-day Entrepreneurship Clinic and Seminar, after which they will be required to present a 5-page concept paper.
   Following this, the top applicants will be invited to a 4-day intensive Business Plan Training course that will enable them submit a 15-20 page business plan, and conclude with the administration of a psychometric test. Finalists from this phase will be selected and provided with constructive feedback to finalize their business plans.
   These entrepreneurs will then present their plans to a panel of judges and winners will be selected – the winners will receive a grant and/or aftercare to scale up or start up their businesses.
2. Entrepreneur Aftercare -Following the selection of the business plan competition winners, all finalists (including grant and /or aftercare winners) who presented their business plans to the panel of judges will receive mentoring, networking and other business development services over the course of one year.
   This will provide support to firms and foster an environment where start-ups and early stage ventures will establish a network of early stage businesses to share knowledge that can help them leverage linkages to improve their business models.

Eligibility

In order to be eligible to participate in the ENGINE Business Plan Competition a person must meet all of the following criteria:
a) Be a Ghanaian citizen
b) Be 20 years of age or older at the time of submitting the application
c) Propose an expansion on an existing business or a new business that is or will be based in Ghana
d) Have no more than 50 employees (existing businesses)
e) Propose a business expansion or concept that will realistically create at least 5 new jobs by the end of the second year of business operations, and will have a minimum investment base of GHS50,000 and annual sales of GHS100,000 by the end of the third year of business operations
f) Propose an expansion or a new business in any sector or industry (except Imports to Sell)

g) A firm commitment to submit basic financial data for a period of 3 years following participation in the programme, as well as submitting financial data during the issuance of the grant.

Benefits:

• Winners and finalists of ENGINE will be given awards that include seed capital, business development services, opportunities to present to private investors and links to financial institutions and investment capital.
• Although designed along the lines of previous business plans, new screening tools have been introduced to this programme to enhance easy participation.

Application Procedure:

Anyone who meets the eligibility criteria detailed in this guide can apply with a business expansion or a new business concept. Applicants will be asked to identify which industry categories best describes their businesses or business concepts (including but not limited to the following):
1) Agribusiness and Processing (Food Processing), 2) Agricultural Services, 3) Arts and Crafts, 4) Beauty and Personal Care, 5) Clothing and Accessories, 6) Consultancy Services, 7) Construction and Real Estate Development, 8) Education and Skills Development, 9) Energy, 10) Events Management, 11) Financial Services, 12) Green Industries (Recycling), 13) Health, 14) Hospitality, Recreation and Tourism, 15) ICT and Software Development, 16) Light Manufacturing, 17) Multimedia and Publishing, 18) Transport, 19) Water and Sanitation, 20) Other (Applicants will need to specify what sector if it does not fall under the provided categories)

A complete application must include all of the following (Incomplete applications will not be evaluated):

• Signed Participation Agreement and Certification
• Complete Application & Baseline Survey Form

All applications will be treated with the highest degree of confidentiality. All judges, consultants and organizers have signed confidentiality agreements that prohibit them from using or divulging any information related to the applicants or their ideas. This confidentiality agreement will be in effect even after the competition has ended. Only information that has the express authorization from the applicant will be used in any manner beyond evaluation purposes. Read more about confidentiality within this document.

How to Apply:

Application Form: Download the Application Form for the Technoserve ENGINE Buisness Plan Competition

The Application & Baseline Survey Form requires information about the entrepreneur, the enterprise/business, sources of information, expenditure and revenue (if applicable), employees (if applicable), and other demographic and business information. Applicants must complete and submit an official application form by 5:00 p.m. on Friday 31st March 2017.

The Participation Agreement and Certification on the last page of the form must be read and signed and should be submitted together with the application form.

Completed forms should be mailed or couriered to: The ENGINE Programme
TechnoServe Ghana
No. 77 Osu Badu Street, Airport West
P.O. Box 135, Accra – GHANA

Or hand delivered to the TechnoServe Accra office at:
No. 77 Osu Badu Street
Airport West
Accra – GHANA

n these cases the application must arrive by the application period deadline along with the signed participation agreement.

The forms may also be sent to [email protected] using TechnoServe ENGINE Application as the subject.

Applicants in Kumasi may submit applications to ADVANCE/ENGINE office at Adum Presby on top of the Bank of Africa building.

Applicants in Tamale may submit applications to ENGINE office in Tunaayili

Applicants in Bolgatanga may submit applications to TechnoServe Office in Bolgatanga, located within the SSNIT Building.

Applicants in Wa may submit applications to ADVANCE Office in Wa, opposite the Nuoyong Empire Hotel.

Submissions will close at 5:00 pm on Friday 31st March 2017. Submissions made by this deadline to regional partner offices will be couriered to Accra within three business days of the deadline. Incomplete or late applications will not be accepted.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the ENGINE Business Plan Competition 2017 for Ghanaians.