Hapaweb Solutions, an IT company based in Kumasi, has opened hapaSpace, the city’s first co-working space.
hapaSpace is located in the Dovewell Building in Adum, within the Kumasi CBD. The space has office facilities for individuals and teams, as well as a meeting room, an eating area and a training and events space.
The space will provide IT startups, SMEs, Entrepreneurs and Social Enterprises relevant education, training and mentorship opportunities that are key to helping ideas and prototypes become viable products and services.
Albert Opoku, a co-founder of hapaSpace states that the goal is to be more than just a space to work, but to build a physical community. Gideon Brefo, the Manager for hapaSpace adds that the ultimate aim is to build a strong entrepreneurship hub in Kumasi.
The hapaSpace hub will go a long way towards growing the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Ghana. However, the move to the new space was not without challenges. In Kumasi and other major cities in Ghana, the norm is to pay between 5 to 10 years rent at a go, depending on the size of the space. This meant that Hapaweb would have to pay US$ 2800-7200 in rent for a space in the city center.
The move was first mooted by Albert in discussion with Fiifi Baidoo, a co-founder of iSpace, a co-working space in Ghana’s capital Accra. Fiifi noted that there was a need for a facility such as iSpace in Kumasi, urging Albert to start one. Following this, the hapaSpace co-working space was opened on 1st February 2016.
Along with Hapaweb Solutions, hapaSpace is home to the Indego Africa social enterprise support network for women, web and mobile apps training startup Tech-Prenuer, satellite internet services company Modern Technologies Limited, and The Neonatal Network Support System (NNSS), a startup using technology to save the lives of newborn children.
