A youth group from Tanoso Seventh-day Adventist Church has won GH₵20,000 in the McDan Youth Connect Adventist Edition for developing Green Gold Extract, a citronella-based essential oil brand that promotes sustainable farming and job creation.
The Tanoso Youth in Agribusiness emerged as winners of the competition with their innovative approach to turning citronella, a commonly overlooked local plant, into valuable essential oil. The product has multiple applications, including insect repellent, perfume ingredient, and herbal products.
Team member Nana Kofi Britwum explained that the initiative aims to demonstrate how agribusiness can be both creative and profitable. “We want to show that agribusiness can be creative and profitable,” Britwum stated. The project seeks to bridge traditional farming practices with modern entrepreneurship.
The initiative could create employment opportunities for rural women and youth across farming, processing, branding, and sales. Green Gold Extract also promotes environmental sustainability through citronella cultivation, which offers natural pest-repelling properties and soil protection benefits.
Dr. Daniel McKorley, founder of the McDan Group and competition sponsor, commended the youth for their creativity. He expressed hope that the project would transform participants from job seekers into job creators while generating genuine community impact.
The victory qualifies the Tanoso group for the semi-finals of the McDan Entrepreneurship Challenge, where they will compete for a grand prize of one hundred thousand dollars. Their success demonstrates how innovation and teamwork can transform simple agricultural concepts into viable business ventures.
Source: newsghana.com.gh
