Support for creative youth to start businesses

Needy but creative young Ghanaian entrepreneurs are to be supported to raise funds for their projects.
Addressing a youth stakeholder forum at the Ghana Centre for Entrepreneurship, Employment and Innovation on Youth Entrepreneurship Fund held at the World Bank Conference Hall in Accra, the Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, said the President has advised the youth of Ghana to help in national development.

“The older persons we have now have tried, but they cannot work beyond their capacity because they are not very technologically inclined; but the youth of today are going to lay the foundation for many greater things to happen in this country,” he said.

He gave the assurance that the President and his administration were going to help them to realise their talents for innovative products in the country.

In his State of the Nation address to Parliament on February 21, 2013, President John Mahama echoed his commitment to set up a GH¢10 million Youth Jobs & Enterprise Development Fund (YJEDF) to support young people to be successful entrepreneurs and create sustainable employment opportunities.

The President also gave the assurance that  job and enterprise centres (JEC) would be established in all the 10 regions in the country to help unemployed youth and people about to enter or prepare for the world of work.

It is in light of this that some young entrepreneurs around the country met to deliberate on the proposed funds concept paper and also to share their views and to help shape the policy.

The stakeholder forum also gave youthful entrepreneurs the platform to explore what the YJEDF meant for Ghanaian startups.

In an interview with the Daily Graphic, the Minister of State in charge of Financial and Allied Institutions, Mr Fiifi Kwetey, said the fund was to inspire young Ghanaians living in the country to live their dreams of becoming successful entrepreneurs.

“The structure that is being proposed is for the youth, and not for any political party. It is solely based on merit and not the political party any person is affiliated to,” he said.

He challenged the youth to come up with productive ideas so that they could inspire fearful young ones to exhibit their creative talents.

He also called on the media to disseminate appropriate, information to the public and help create awareness about the YJEDF.

By Emmanuel Tawiah Forson/Daily Graphic/Ghana