Author name: ashmaster

From Setback to Scale-Up: Yvonne Nouriyee’s Journey Through BRIDGE-in Agriculture Yvonne Nouriyee, a 32-year-old entrepreneur from Adenta Frafraha in Ghana’s Greater Accra Region, made a bold shift from development work to running her own business. But the path to entrepreneurship wasn’t smooth. “When I started, I made countless mistakes. I knew very little about budgeting, record-keeping, or managing a business effectively,” Yvonne recalled. Despite receiving many orders, she struggled to make a profit. Without proper financial tracking, she couldn’t account for her expenses or measure growth. She also lacked the confidence and skills to pitch her business and attract support. “There were thriving businesses all around me. I just wanted to understand what they were doing right,” she said. Everything changed when she came across Africa Skills Hub’s LinkedIn post about the BRIDGE-in Agriculture (BIA) financial literacy training. “I was eager to learn and grow—not just for myself, but for my business and my community. The chance for free, quality education felt like the right step,” she shared. The program gave her practical skills in budgeting, business organisation, financial accountability, and pitching. She learned to develop business model canvases and pitch decks that gave her venture structure and purpose. “The facilitators used our businesses as case studies. That made the lessons easy to understand and apply immediately,” she said. Unlike other training she had encountered, BIA was tailored to the realities of entrepreneurs like her. “Most trainings are too general. This one felt made for me. I could apply everything directly to my business,” Yvonne noted. The impact was transformative. For the first time, she saw herself as more than just a business manager—she saw herself as a brand builder and a true entrepreneur. “Before the training, I was shy and not confident about my business. Now, everything has changed. The way I carry myself and represent my brand speaks volumes,” she added. A breakthrough followed when Africa Skills Hub featured her story in a Facebook post. The post gained traction and sparked interest far beyond her immediate community. “I woke up to messages and tags. People from Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and other places were reaching out. It was incredible,” she recalled. The exposure gave her business a powerful boost. And when she won a grant through the program, she used it to rebrand her packaging and expand her product line from three to seven chocolate varieties. “Winning that grant gave my business the push it needed,” she said. With the funds, she also hired new staff, including a young woman, to handle her communications and social media, further strengthening her operations and visibility. Today, Yvonne’s business is more than a commercial venture. It’s a platform for empowerment. She now offers internships and one-year residential training for young women, covering accommodation, meals, and skills development. “We support at least one female each year with hands-on training to help her become economically independent,” she explained. Yvonne hopes to acquire a dedicated facility to house her machinery and launch a formal training centre. This next phase will expand her production capacity and deepen her social impact, training and equipping more young people with the skills they need to thrive.