Ho, July 06, GNA – Ohana Homes, a bed-sharing initiative has won the Ho Node Hub’s startup investment pitching contest.
The project is expected to boost community-based tourism by providing a platform that would aid stakeholders to develop the home-sharing landscape in visitor hotspots in the Volta Region and was selected best among four presented at the Hub’s local pitch summit.
The Ho Node Hub, which partners with the Ghana Tech Lab, and the MasterCard Foundation’s Young Africa Works, would fund the project and provide incubation.
Volta Walkers, a concept to reorganize tourism using indigenous stories and merchandise, won second place and would join Ohana Homes for the incubation phase.
JWAB, team behind the Ohana Homes project said to create lofty lodgings in family homes across the region and launch a booking site that would ease marketing and search.
The team said it aimed to help grow tourism, and would work with travel agencies, institutions, and entrepreneurs in promoting local culture and heritage.
Mr Courage Asase, Managing Director of the Hub, said the teams had endured months of intensive training and were sure to help provide the expected impacts.
He said the hub sought to bring digital training opportunities closer to the youth of the Volta Region and had trained thousands over the past four years.
The Managing Director told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that this year’s training focused on digital media and that participants were expected to leverage skills acquired in turning everyday ideas into businesses.
“It’s a tailor-made program which is supposed to provide an avenue where we could raise businesses from these people. That’s the focus of this training,” he said.
The summit urged the youth to seize opportunities offered by the developing tech climate to create more sustainable jobs and lessen unemployment.
The Node is currently running a “Startup Creation”- a 12-week programme for developing startup ideas, while its digital media training continues with the next cohorts.
