Adwumawura blasts off - Programme to create 20,000 decent jobs annually

A new empowerment module designed to absorb the teeming youth into entrepreneurship and decent employment has been unveiled in the latest phase of the government’s Reset Agenda.

Dubbed “Adwumawura”, the youth entrepreneurship programme is expected to empower up to 10,000 young Ghanaians aged between 18 and 35 years annually to start and grow their businesses.

It is expected to further employ 20,000 youth every year, at the minimum, across four years in what government officials believe could be the game-changer in the country’s efforts to solve the unemployment challenges.

The initiative will provide business development training, access to funding, coaching and mentorship, market access, and provide technological support, machinery and equipment to beneficiary youth.

Initiative

The initiative will be spearheaded by the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), operating under the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment, to create sustainable jobs and provide better livelihoods for young people.

Prospective beneficiaries will apply by presenting proposals on their preferred business to the NEIP, with the organisation in turn formalising the proposals into concrete business plans.

These business plans will be assisted by the NEIP to start through funding support, coaching, guidance and any other relevant support.

Launch

At yesterday’s launch in Kumasi, perhaps the country’s biggest entrepreneurial hub, President John Dramani Mahama said the Adwumawura project was not a mere policy initiative, but rather a declaration of faith in the extraordinary potential of the Ghanaian youth.

"It is our commitment to nurturing the ambitions and translating the ideas of the youth into thriving enterprises that would drive our nation's progress,” he said.

"Our goal is to create at least 10,000 Ghanaian youth-owned businesses every year for a four-year period. It will create at least 20,000 decent jobs annually,” President Mahama added.

The launch witnessed a gathering of government officials, development partners, traditional authorities and young entrepreneurs, with each speech and every step seeking to convey a message of urgency in the search for a solution to the unemployment situation in the country.

As of last year, the unemployment rate in the country stood at over 14 per cent, according to official figures from the Ghana Statistical Service.

President Mahama said the Adwumawura Programme was fully funded, with the necessary allocations secured under the 2025 national budget through the Ministry of Finance.

He stated that the programme stood apart from previous youth initiatives that were announced “with a lot of fanfare, but proved to be mirages without adequate funding”.

This initiative, Mr Mahama explained, would be inclusive, youth-led and open to Ghanaians from all walks of life, including those with little or no formal education.

“Many of the big businesses we see today started as small enterprises,” he said.

“With the right support, young Ghanaians can build businesses that not only change their own lives but also contribute to growing our national economy,” he added.

The President said the Adwumawura project sought to stimulate youth employment, entrepreneurship and innovation across key strategic sectors of the economy.

Selection criteria

"We would incubate new businesses and accelerate existing ones, and so those who can apply are not only people who want to establish new businesses, but with existing ones who need some support," the President clarified.

He said businesses would be selected based on their scalability, sustainability and their potential for job creation.

President Mahama said it was an ambitious undertaking, but was necessary if the country needed to secure a prosperous and resilient future for its youth.

The event was attended by the National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia; the Minister of Youth Development and Empowerment, George Opare Addo; the Municipal Chief Executive of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, Richard Ofori Agyemang, and the Chief Executive Officer of the NEIP, Eric Adjei. Otumfuo's Benkumhene, Odeneho Okyere Ntrama, chaired the event on behalf of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.