Over the weekend, the final 18 participants of the Horticulture Business Challenge (HBC) Program gathered in Accra for an intensive preparation workshop. The sessions were designed to equip them with the tools, skills, and mindset needed for the journey ahead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After checking in at the residence on Thursday, participants settled in for a weekend filled with engaging sessions led by their two coaches, Susanne Roelofsen and Joana Chemel, as well as an expert session with Barnabas Apom, Senior Project Manager at GNBCC and founder of Researchlime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The workshop officially began on Friday with a welcome address from Project Manager, Tracy Abbey Mensah, who introduced the two-month program schedule, addressed questions, and congratulated the diverse group, made up of tertiary students,alumni, young entrepreneurs, and professionals from across Ghana, all passionate about making an impact in the horticulture sector. Following the address, the participants engaged in a variety of sessions carefully tailored to prepare them for the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These included personality and soft skills exercises like the Marshmallow and DISC challenges, idea generation activities, and a session on digital tools and online branding with a special focus on building a professional LinkedIn presence. The day ended with a professional portrait photoshoot, ensuring participants had polished profiles to use throughout their professional journeys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The DISC challenge provided valuable insights into communication and leadership styles, teaching participants how to adapt their strategies for different team and business settings.They also learned why founders must evolve their communication strategies through different stages of business growth and, just as in the marshmallow challenge, discovered the importance of trust, alignment, and shared purpose in teamwork. These exercises were not only practical but also served to strengthen group cohesion as the participants prepared for their internships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Saturday\u2019s sessions built on this momentum with more team-building activities, recognizing the importance of collaboration since participants would soon be working in groups of three on company business cases. In true HBC tradition, the day included a scavenger hunt, which challenged participants to work together creatively while reinforcing the lessons on teamwork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The day also featured a comprehensive research approach session with Barnabas Apom, who brought over a decade of expertise to the table. His session covered essential topics such as the importance of research, ethics and policies, interviewing techniques, market analysis, and data collection tools. To cap off the session,, Barnabas held one-on-one consultations with each team, providing tailored advice and guidance to help them approach their assigned business cases effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The weekend workshop was a transformative experience, equipping the final 18 participants with the blend of technical, professional, and interpersonal skills they’ll need for success. A huge thank you to Barnabas, our dedicated coaches, and the entire HBC team for making the workshop such a success. With their internships officially underway, we look forward to sharing more updates on their progress in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Over the weekend, the final 18 participants of the Horticulture Business Challenge (HBC) Program gathered in Accra for an intensive preparation workshop. The sessions were designed to equip them with the tools, skills, and mindset needed for the journey ahead. After checking in at the residence on Thursday, participants settled in for a weekend filled<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":8788,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[157,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8787","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hbc","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15691,"url":"https:\/\/gnbcc.net\/highlights-of-hbc-2026-preparation-workshop\/","url_meta":{"origin":8787,"position":0},"title":"Highlights Of HBC 2026 Preparation Workshop","author":"Michael Teye","date":"April 17, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Horticulture Business Challenge (HBC) 2026 Preparation Workshop successfully brought together participants for a four-day intensive training in Accra from 30th March to 2nd April. Designed to prepare teams for their upcoming two-month internships, the workshop combined practical learning in teamwork, communication, digital marketing, market research, AI tools, and professional\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Horticulture Business Challenge"","block_context":{"text":"Horticulture Business Challenge","link":"https:\/\/gnbcc.net\/category\/hbc\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gnbcc.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/HIGHLIGHTS-OF-HBC-2026-PREPARATION-WORKSHOP-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gnbcc.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/HIGHLIGHTS-OF-HBC-2026-PREPARATION-WORKSHOP-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gnbcc.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/HIGHLIGHTS-OF-HBC-2026-PREPARATION-WORKSHOP-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gnbcc.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/HIGHLIGHTS-OF-HBC-2026-PREPARATION-WORKSHOP-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gnbcc.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/HIGHLIGHTS-OF-HBC-2026-PREPARATION-WORKSHOP-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gnbcc.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/HIGHLIGHTS-OF-HBC-2026-PREPARATION-WORKSHOP-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15516,"url":"https:\/\/gnbcc.net\/the-horticulture-business-challenge-2026-kicks-off\/","url_meta":{"origin":8787,"position":1},"title":"The Horticulture Business Challenge 2026 Kicks Off","author":"Grace Agorigo","date":"March 27, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The future of Ghana\u2019s agricultural sector was on full display last Thursday at the WACCI on the University of Ghana campus. 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