Ekow Mensah

decorghana

decorghana

Profiling services and products of over 1000 companies and professionals in the interior and exterior decoration, real estates, horticulture, delivery services, advisory and consultancy service

• Startup type: Company
• Status: Active
• Stage: Beta

I am the Founder & Country Director of The African Network of Entrepreneurs (TANOE), a social enterprise that seeks among other things to assist entrepreneurs to build sustainable businesses through the provision of practical solutions and useful Start-up and SME resources. My vision is to create an enabling environment in Ghana for the massive growth of entrepreneurs and for the empowerment of the youth to be more innovative and proactive. As a result, I have pioneered many innovative initiatives geared towards the achievement of this vision such as

Ghana Start-Up Capital Fund: To raise, in a decade, GH¢10,000,000 (Ten Million Ghana Cedis) through donations and contributions by entrepreneurs, individuals, organizations, local and international donors, investments and fund-raising activities to support the development of entrepreneurship and to invest in innovative and economically viable ideas and start-up businesses.

With my passion for humanity, social entrepreneurship and the promotion of the right practices and seasoned knowledge and direction in Social Entrepreneurship and Politics, I founded the Centre for the Advancement of Youth in Social Entrepreneurship (CAYSEP). CAYSEP is a non-governmental, non-profit and non-partisan social enterprise that seeks ultimately to be a support system and a hub of resources to excellently position the youth to take up civic and humanitarian responsibilities in their communities.

I am the Executive Director and Business Coach of Business and Entrepreneur Development Centre (BEDeC), a company that provides tailor-made programs to equip entrepreneurs to meet the demands and challenges of the competitive economic environment. BEDeC is committed to making knowledge-based business resources accessible to all entrepreneurs despite their budget provision for training.

I am the Managing Director of IConcepts Co. Ltd, a creative company specializing in Web & Desktop Applications, Multimedia and Events Brokerage Services.

Employer:	Centre for the Advancement of Youth in Social Entrepreneurship & Politics (CAYSEP)
Position:	Founder and Country Director
Time period:	August 2011 - Present
Description:	Centre for the Advancement of Youth in Social Entrepreneurship and Politics (CAYSEP) is a non-governmental, non-profit and non-partisan social enterprise that seeks ultimately to be a support system and a hub of resources to excellently position the youth to take up civic and humanitarian responsibilities in their communities. CAYSEP undertakes timely research into innovations in social entrepreneurship and politics and provides practical trainings and advisory services aimed at fully equipping the youth to understand the intricacies of social entrepreneurship and politics. CAYSEP MISSION To build a new generation of well-informed and adequately equipped social entrepreneurs and political leaders with a vision to selflessly bring lasting change to their society To support and champion campaigns aimed at producing and sustaining policies and initiatives that support the advancement of the youth in social entrepreneurship and politics To conduct continuous research and produce reliable information to ensure the sustained development of social entrepreneurship and politics. CAYSEP VISION To be a global leader in the promotion of right practices and innovation in social entrepreneurship and politics and to continuously produce visionary social and political youth leaders CAYSEP OBJECTIVES To Promote the need for the strategic involvement of the youth in social entrepreneurship and politics To Provide applicable education for the youth in politics and social entrepreneurship To Provide support and relevant resources for the youth in social entrepreneurship and politics To Empower the youth to take up leadership roles in politics and to affect their communities with innovation in social entrepreneurship To Equip and Empower the youth to have a significant voice in policy-making To promote synergy amongst youth and encourage productive dialogues and knowledge exchange geared towards bridging generational gaps and sustainable development. To encourage amongst the youth a culture of volunteerism 8. To well-position the youth in social entrepreneurship and politics to fulfill the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 1-8 To have a functional database of all youth leaders and social entrepreneurs with their organizations and initiatives

Employer:	TANOE - The African Network of Entrepreneurs
Position:	Founder & Country Director
Time period:	July 2010 - Present
Description:	Duties include Strategic and tactical operational management. Project design, development and implementation, corporate solution provider, Management data development, analysis and reporting, Supervision of smooth running of all operational affairs • Background on TANOE – Founded: September, 2008 TANOE is a social enterprise that seeks among other things to assist entrepreneurs to build sustainable businesses. It seeks to serve as a hub of hope for entrepreneurs who desire to live their dreams and are passionate about gaining the requisite knowledge to better position them to move ahead of their competitors and fulfill their overarching ambition of building a legacy. TANOE aims to assist entrepreneurs seeking to build world-class businesses through efficient provision of Relevant Information and Useful Resources and initiatives like Effective Business Networking, Adequate and Relevant Training, Constant Motivation and Appropriate Financing.

Employer:	IConcepts
Position:	Managing Director
Time period:	September 2009 - Present
Description:	ICONCEPTS is a company that is committed to innovation, precision, excellence and leadership in the execution of our services. We provide the best value for money with high quality standards at economical rates. Since it inception, ICONCEPTS has grown steadily over the years and now boasts of an outstanding product mix of Multimedia, Graphic Designing, Printing, Web Applications, Branding & Advertising, Marketing & Concept Development Our Mission To be committed to innovation, precision, excellence and leadership in the execution of our services Our Vision To be a socially responsible and a remarkably dependable service provider in Ghana truly satisfying our clients and rewarding team members and shareholders Our Core Values Innovation | Precision | Excellence| leadership

Employer:	Image Consortium Co. Ltd
Position:	Business Management Consultant & Coach
Time period:	April 2009 - Present
Description:	Responsible for the • Development of new projects proposals and corporate documents • Draw up a roll out plan for the execution of projects/ programmes • Ensure the successful actualization of approved programmes • Coordinate all event/ activities of the company • Build structures essential for the growth of the company • Assist in the identification and access of funds for capital injection

Employer:	Speakers’ Bureau
Position:	Founder & Motivational Speaker
Time period:	February 2009 - Present
Description:	• Background on Speakers’ Bureau – Founded: February, 2009 The Speakers’ Bureau is a not-for-profit educational initiative by BEDeC that seeks to adequately and systematically equip members with the necessary information and education to assist them to overcome the fear of public speaking, build confidence, develop and practice their leadership competencies, discover and build their potentials and talents. The overarching goal of The Speakers’ Bureau is to assist members to practice and improve on their speaking, communication, entrepreneurship and leadership skills.

Employer:	BEDeC – Business & Entrepreneur Development Centre
Position:	Founder & Business Coach
Time period:	January 2009 - Present
Description:	I coach business owners to improve their business through guidance, support and encouragement. I help owners of small and medium sized businesses with their sales, marketing, management, team building, structure building and so much more. I also lecture and offer step by step guidance through my workshops on Entrepreneurship Development and Small Business Management. • Background on BEDeC – Founded: January, 2009 Business and Entrepreneur Development Centre (BEDeC) is vested with the responsibility of serving as a bridge between academia and training and consultancy in the field of entrepreneurship. It has established entrepreneurial development programs to accelerate business growth for entrepreneurs and prospects in emerging businesses to effectively promote an entrepreneurial culture in Ghana through practical hands-on training and mentorship workshops. Programs are tailored to equip entrepreneurs to meet the demands and challenges of the competitive environment. It is committed to making knowledge-based business resources accessible to all entrepreneurs despite their budget provision for training. It is also committed to bridging the gap that exists between entrepreneurs including prospects and basic business knowledge and intelligence required to build businesses that could compete on the global markets.

Employer:	Pinpoint Media Co. Ltd
Position:	Head, Corporate Affairs
Time period:	March 2008 - September 2008
Description:	Head, Corporate Affairs – Responsible for drafting business documents and general supervision of team members in the execution of assigned tasks.

Employer:	Legacy & Legacy, Kanda, Accra
Position:	Publications Officer
Time period:	September 2007 - February 2008
Description:	Publications Officer, with the following duties; Strategic Development of products and Programmes, Sales Management, Development of new segments of the market, Management of Client database, communication with clients about new products and assisting with operations.

Employer:	Xpresions Graphics, Market Circle, Takoradi
Position:	Manager
Time period:	January 2007 - August 2007
Description:	Manager of the graphic designing and concept building studio in charge of building clients loyalty, publicity and designs.

Employer:	Excellence International, Takoradi
Position:	Public Relations Officer
Time period:	January 2006 - December 2007
Description:	Public Relations Officer in charge of marketing and publicizing the organization to the various targeted groups and also fishing out influential marketing personal related to the target group of any event to be organized by the organization.

Employer:	Gem Executive Solutions Ltd, Harbour View, Takoradi
Position:	Executive Director
Time period:	January 2006 - December 2007
Description:	Executive Director in charge of Planning and General Operations in Event Planning and Management, Real Estates and Car Rentals.

Employer:	Prime Resorts & Tours Promotion, Dansoman, Accra
Position:	Sales Representative
Time period:	January 2006 - April 2006
Description:	Sales Representative with duties including marketing and sales of products of the firm.

Employer:	Xpresions Gifts and Cards, Market Circle, Takoradi
Position:	Assistant Manager
Time period:	January 2001 - December 2002
Description:	Assistant Manager with duties of directing customers as to what to buy, taking the initiative to make attractive hampers for various occasions. In charge of customer care.

Employer:	Bennet & Bennet Consult, Ahenfie Hotel Building, Takoradi
Position:	Consultant Trainee
Time period:	March 2007
Description:	Consultant Trainee - with the responsibilities of assisting the consultant in carrying out business research, management and business consultancy and training services.

University:	Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
Time period:	2001 - 2006
Degree:	Mathematics, BSc

Hobbies:	Reading business books, writing books and poems, business planning and development, listening to music, making business presentations and speaking & counseling.
Clubs:	Editor-in-chief Unity Hall, Kwame Nkrumah 2003-2004 KNUST, Kumasi Ghana . Asst. Coordinator Mass Drama, KNUST. 2004-2005 Vice President/ 1st Asst. Head Communication Arts Department, 2005-2006 KNUST, Kumasi Ghana. Secretary Intellecto Planning Committee, 2005-2006 KNUST Vice Chairman Socializing Planning Committee, 2005-2006 KNUST Circuit Coordinator Writers and Debaters Club, Mfantsipim 2001-2002 School, Cape Coast, Ghana.
Memberships:	Canadian Chamber of Commerce African Network of Social Entrepreneurs