PureLube, Fitroot, And JESPARK Foods Lead Ghana’s 2025 Student Venture Awards

UG’s Student Venture Support Programme crowns cashew-waste lubricant as top venture; snack and kenkey-innovation startups round out winners in a field of 42 finalists.

PureLube Ltd, a student-led startup from the University for Development Studies (UDS), won the 2025 Student Venture Support Programme (SVSP) finals hosted by the University of Ghana’s Research and Innovation Directorate (RID) in partnership with Imperial College London. Judges cited product quality, sustainability credentials and a clear go-to-market plan in awarding PureLube GHS 50,000 in seed funding for its eco-friendly grease made from cashew nut shells. (UG announced the winners in August 2025.)

Fitroot Ghana, representing the University of Ghana with healthy snacks based on local superfoods including baobab, hibiscus and tigernut, finished first runner-up to take GHS 30,000. JESPARK Foods, now operating as EasyWay Foods, from the University of Cape Coast placed second runner-up, earning GHS 20,000 for EasyWay Mashkey Mix, an instant kenkey smoothie powder that aims to modernize a traditional staple without losing its Fante kenkey taste.

A special GHS 5,000 prize from the Pro Vice-Chancellor (RID) recognized Mushplus Agri-Foods Ltd (KNUST) for mushroom-fortified instant noodles and a mushroom-soy protein supplement designed to combat malnutrition while reducing post-harvest losses.

This year’s SVSP drew 236 applications, with 42 finalist teams from the University of Ghana (UG), University of Cape Coast (UCC), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and UDS. Finalists completed entrepreneurship masterclasses in innovation, branding, investment readiness and intellectual property.

Prof. Felix Ankomah Asante, Pro Vice-Chancellor (RID), praised the momentum among student innovators and reiterated UG’s commitment to an enabling environment for entrepreneurship and research-driven solutions. He underscored the need for sustained investment and mentoring to help ventures scale beyond the campus ecosystem.

Solomon Adjei, President of the Association of Ghana Startups, announced additional support to help teams that have yet to secure Ghana FDA certification, alongside sponsorship for winners to exhibit at Ghana Startup Week.

Spotlight | EasyWay Foods (JESPARK)

Second runner-up EasyWay Foods (formerly JESPARK Foods) is a five-member UCC team led by William Jefferson Brown (B.Sc. Agribusiness) with co-founder Paul Barku. The startup converts culturally rooted Ghanaian foods into shelf-stable, ready-to-use products. Its flagship, EasyWay Mashkey Powder Mix, is a ready-to-mix kenkey smoothie powder developed from Fante kenkey, powdered milk and sugar. Designed to cut maize post-harvest losses, the product fits today’s fast-paced lifestyles, just add water and serve, while retaining authentic flavour.

Source: University of Ghana (Aug. 2025), with additional reporting by muzicgh.com.

Editor’s note: The writer is a UCC graduate and a cousin of EasyWay Foods’ founder. MuzicGH maintains editorial independence and has presented all finalists’ results and awards as announced by SVSP organizers.