Funding support for start-ups in construction sector

Fifty-seven young people in the Ashanti Region have received GH¢317,500 funding support to start up their business in the construction sector under the Youth Inclusive Entrepreneurial Development Initiative for Employment (YIEDIE) programme which is a five-year project designed to create economic opportunities in Ghana's construction sector for disadvantaged youth between the ages of 17 and 24.

The project, being implemented by Global Communities, an NGO, is to reach out to at least 23,700 youth with technical training, life and entrepreneurship skill leading to employment.

Selection

The beneficiaries were selected after a rigorous application process and interview sessions.

They were each given training in their chosen field of interest after which they were presented with the funds and tools to commence business.

Operation

The Partnership Development Specialist, Mrs Alice Winnimi Tuoho, said Global Communities had been operating in Ghana since 2008 and had implemented several programmes, including the Inclucity programme in Accra and the Sanitation and Hygiene for the Urban Poor (WASH-UP).

She said the project was being implemented in five cities: Accra, Kumasi, Sekondi-Takoradi, Ashiaman and Tema, with the core objectives to increase employment and enhance coordination and support for an enabling environment in the construction sector for stakeholders.

YIEDIE

The YIEDIE project is supported by MasterCard Foundation and implemented by a consortium of five organisations: Global Communities, Opportunities Industrialisation Centre Ghana, Aurora Business Network, Republic Boafo Limited and Artisans Association of Ghana.