Ghanaian rapper Sarkodie has called for a new approach to the relationship between corporate Ghana and the creative industry, urging businesses to move beyond traditional concert sponsorships and build long-term partnerships that create value for both sides.

The rapper made the call when he, together with his management and the production team behind Rapperholic, paid a courtesy visit to the offices of Mobile Money Fintech Ltd (MMF) on Wednesday, September 30, 2026.

The meeting aimed to strengthen the relationship between Sarkodie and MMF ahead of this year’s Rapperholic concert in Kumasi, while also exploring opportunities for a broader partnership between the two sides.

Sarkodie said corporate organisations and creatives should not approach their relationship simply as a transaction where a company provides money for an event and the engagement ends after the programme.

“For a long time, there has been this gap between the corporate and entertainment worlds. It took time for us to understand how important the two can be when they come together to achieve a common goal,” he said.

Explaining why he personally joined the visit, Sarkodie said he wanted to demonstrate that his relationship with MMF should go beyond securing sponsorship for Rapperholic.

“I’m not here in the usual way where we get sponsorship for our show, and that’s it. I’m actually here myself because I think it goes beyond just coming in here to support us,” he said.

The rapper said both sides have objectives that could align to create a partnership that benefits the company, the artiste, and the wider creative ecosystem.

According to Sarkodie, Rapperholic and his other creative projects have specific goals, while MMF also has products and services that it wants to introduce to the Ghanaian public.

“How best do we build our relationship where everyone feels like, ‘I was able to gain something out of this,’ and not just give your money away or give your talent away without necessarily gaining anything?” he asked.

“Today’s conversation, to me, is more about what we could do together and not just limited to Rapperholic,” he added.

Sarkodie further indicated that artistes have plans that extend beyond individual concerts, including tours, album projects, brand initiatives and engagements with different communities.

He therefore wants corporate partnerships to be designed around those wider plans rather than being limited to individual events.

In a separate account of the meeting, Sarkodie stressed that he did not want his relationship with MMF to end with Rapperholic.

“I don’t want it to end with Rapperholic. What does MoMo have in the pipeline? What is your roadmap, and how do we come together to achieve something great?” he stated.

He also proposed that his planned campus tour could provide an opportunity for MMF to engage directly with young people.

Sarkodie explained that the tour could be used to communicate information about the company’s services, including its new MoMo application, while allowing the financial technology company to become part of the artiste’s engagement with students and young audiences.

“I think we have a plan of going on tour as far as the campuses are concerned. So it’s more of me being able to communicate what you guys want to put out there, and also you guys making it possible for us to be on the journey,” he explained.

For MMF, the proposed collaboration is also about reaching a large audience with information on financial services.

The company’s Chief Executive Officer, Shaibu Haruna, said MMF sees the entertainment industry as an important platform because of its ability to connect businesses with large numbers of Ghanaians.

He explained that MMF has developed financial solutions designed to bring more people into Ghana’s financial ecosystem, but reaching and educating potential users about those services remains important.

“We have developed solutions that solve problems in terms of including the masses in Ghana’s financial ecosystem. And you are also connected with these customers,” Haruna said.

He said MMF’s services have expanded beyond basic mobile-money transactions to include products such as savings, loans, investments and event ticketing.

Haruna argued that artistes with significant audiences can help communicate information about such services in ways that connect with the public.

“Music is a universal language, and we believe that through collaboration with people who have a mass following, we will be able to communicate how people can use our services safely and expose them to the different services that we provide on our platform,” he said.

He also described the relationship between MMF and Ghana’s entertainment industry as part of the company’s contribution to the creative sector.

According to Haruna, Ghanaian music plays an important role in how the country is recognised internationally, alongside football.

“When we travel out of this country, apart from football, I believe that one of the key ways in which Ghanaians are identified is actually the music,” he said.

The engagement therefore centred on finding ways for the fintech and entertainment sectors to work together on areas such as financial inclusion, digital financial services, audience engagement and opportunities within Ghana’s creative economy.

For Sarkodie, the discussion represents a push for a relationship in which both the corporate partner and creative industry gain measurable value rather than treating sponsorship as a one-way financial transaction.

The rapper and his team are expected to continue discussions with MMF on possible areas of collaboration as preparations for Rapperholic and his wider creative projects continue.

Source: Graphics Online

The first cohort of the ‘Adwumawura Programme’ has already supported 10,887 young entrepreneurs with capacity building, business advisory services, and mentorship.

Of this number, 3,625 beneficiaries received grants through a transparent and competitive approach managed by an independent Grant Management Committee consisting of academics, seasoned entrepreneurs, financial institutions, The Ministry of Finance, The Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment, and other government agencies

Beyond the grant support, we are also strengthening the financing architecture available to Ghanaian businesses.

In partnership with the Venture Capital Trust Fund (VCTF), we have established a Fund that will provide debt and equity financing to highly impactful businesses, enabling promising businesses to access the patient and growth capital required to expand, create jobs, and scale their impact.

In addition, we are also developing entrepreneurship much earlier through the Students Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development Programme, SEED, in partnership with the National Union of Ghana Students, The Universities Innovation Hubs (THINK NETWORK) and the National Service Authority.

The National Service Authority (NSA) has released the first batch of postings for 70,072 eligible National Service Personnel for the 2026/2027 National Service Year.

The announcement was contained in a press release dated September 30, 2026, and signed by the Director-General of the National Service Authority, Ruth Dela Sedoh.

According to the Authority, the postings follow the completion of the required validation and registration processes for prospective personnel submitted for consideration for the 2026/2027 service year.

The NSA has directed eligible National Service Personnel to visit its website and access the portal to check their respective places of posting.

Those posted are also required to follow the stated procedures for regional validation.

Registration remains open for private applicants and international applicants, who are required to complete the registration process within the stipulated period to enable the Authority to process their applications.

The Authority said registration for the 2026/2027 National Service Year will run from Thursday, October 1, to Thursday, October 15, 2026.

Personnel are expected to report to their respective departments, institutions and agencies from Monday, October 5, 2026, to begin their national service.

The NSA has also outlined arrangements for the submission of monthly evaluation forms.

Personnel and user agencies in the Subvented Category will access the forms through the Authority’s portal from the 15th to the 20th of every month. The forms are required for the completion and submission of evaluations necessary for allowance payments.

For October 2026, however, the evaluation window has been extended from October 15 to October 25, 2026.

The NSA said a total of 149,907 prospective National Service Personnel were submitted through the registration process.

Of that number, 95,689 were successfully verified, while 95,197 completed their registration.

The Authority has so far posted 70,072 personnel in the first batch for the 2026/2027 service year.

The Authority also reminded the public of the legal provisions governing national service under the National Service Authority Act, 2024 (Act 1119).

It cited Section 29(1), which provides that a person qualifies to undertake national service if the person is a Ghanaian citizen who has completed a course of study at a tertiary education institution.

The NSA further cited Section 40, which sets out consequences for qualified persons who have not undertaken national service.

Among other provisions, the law requires employers to ascertain whether prospective employees are required to undertake national service and whether they have completed the service or hold an applicable exemption certificate.

An employer who contravenes the provision is liable to an administrative penalty of 5,000 penalty units.

The Authority may also direct a person who obtains employment without undertaking the required national service to undertake service in a field determined by the Board.

The law further provides that the Registrar of Companies shall not register a company, partnership or business in the name of a person who is qualified to undertake national service but has not done so, unless the person is exempted under the law.

The NSA has urged all prospective personnel to comply with the relevant procedures and deadlines to facilitate their successful deployment and commencement of service.

The statement was signed by Ruth Dela Sedoh, Director-General of the National Service Authority, under reference NSA/4/49/09/26, dated September 30, 2026.

Ladies and gentlemen, to this end, Ghana is undertaking an important transformation of its entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme, NEIP, our responsibility is not simply to provide funding to young people.

We are building an integrated support system that connects entrepreneurship training, incubation, mentorship, technology, financing, market access, and partnerships.

Our philosophy is straightforward: An entrepreneur does not need money alone; an entrepreneur needs a robust, coordinated, and integrated ecosystem to build a sustainable business.

This is why Ghana’s approach is moving towards building the entire innovative pipeline from the discovery of an idea, incubation and validation, financing, market access, and scale.

Our flagship programme, ‘The Adwumawura Programme’, is one important part of this vision. The programme is designed to support at least 10,000 young entrepreneurs annually through business development and entrepreneurship training, mentorship, technical assistance and funding, access to markets, and business advisory services, with the broader objective of building sustainable businesses and creating decent and sustainable jobs.

It is my distinct honour to address this important International Conference on Business Innovation and Incubation here in South Africa.

I bring you warm greetings from His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana, the Ghanaian government, and the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme.

I also extend my sincerest appreciation to Walter Sisulu University for hosting this important gathering and for its continued commitment to innovation, academic excellence, entrepreneurship, and impactful research.

Distinguished guests, this conference comes at a very important moment in the development agenda of Africa. Across our continent, we are witnessing a generation of young Africans who are embracing innovation and a determination to find answers to the many challenges facing our continent and communities.

Africa’s youth bulge comes with it a yearning and questing generation who are developing tech applications, climate-smart solutions, financial technologies, manufacturing innovations, creative businesses, and new approaches to healthcare and education, among others.

Africa’s challenge is no longer simply about generating ideas.

Our challenge is how to build integrated and coordinated systems across the continent that transform ideas into businesses, take advantage of market opportunities, develop sustainable financing mechanisms for innovations, and sustainable solutions to address peculiar challenges of Africa and beyond.