In Sekyere Kumawu, 133 young people in the District have benefitted from the journey from classroom training to business ownership officially began this week with a set of tools placed firmly in their hands.
The beneficiaries, who recently completed intensive vocational training in food processing, gari processing and fish farming, have been presented with tailored start-up kits to help them launch their own enterprises.
The presentation was led by the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA), Ms. Margaret Ansei, under the Agency’s flagship youth entrepreneurship programme, Business in a Box (BizBox), being implemented in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation.
The ceremony, held in Kumawu, marks a critical transition for the beneficiaries from skills acquisition to income generation, as part of a broader national push to tackle youth unemployment through enterprise development and agribusiness.
From Training to Enterprise Building Sustainable Enterprises
The 133 beneficiaries form part of a cohort of young Ghanaians selected from within the district for practical, demand driven training aimed at equipping them with employable and entrepreneurial skills.
For several weeks, they underwent hands-on training in three key value chains: food processing, gari processing, and fish farming. These sectors were identified as having high growth potential, low entry barriers, and strong linkages to local markets in the district.
At the end of the training, each participant was assessed and certified, paving the way for the distribution of start-up kits. Unlike generic support packages, the kits presented were specifically tailored to each participant’s area of specialization.
Those trained in gari processing received processing equipment, sieves, packaging materials and other essentials needed for production. Beneficiaries in food processing were equipped with tools to support hygienic processing, preservation and packaging, while those in fish farming received inputs and equipment to help them start and manage small-scale aquaculture operations.
According to the GEA, the tailored approach is deliberate, designed to ensure that beneficiaries have not just skills, but the immediate means to apply them profitably without being constrained by lack of initial capital. “Build Sustainable Enterprises”
GEA Readdressing the beneficiaries at the presentation ceremony, Ms. Ansei congratulated the young entrepreneurs for their commitment and discipline throughout the training period. She described their graduation as proof of their readiness to take on the challenge of entrepreneurship.
She encouraged them to see the kits not as gifts to be kept, but as seed investments to be multiplied.
“This is an opportunity to transform your lives and the lives of those around you. Make the most of it. Use your skills and the start-up kits you have received to build sustainable enterprises.”
Miss Ansei
She noted that agriculture and agribusiness remain one of the most viable pathways for Ghana’s youth to create decent jobs and build wealth, particularly in districts like Sekyere Kumawu where agricultural resources and market opportunities are abundant.
“Agriculture is not just farming. It is processing, packaging, marketing and value addition. It holds significant opportunities for young people to create jobs, grow businesses and earn sustainable livelihoods. That is what BizBox is about, helping you to see and seize those opportunities.”
Miss Ansei
Ms. Ansei reiterated GEA’s commitment, together with the Mastercard Foundation, to continue supporting Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across Ghana, especially youth and women led businesses, with access to skills, funding, and business development services.
District Assembly Pledges Support to GEA and the Beneficiaries
The event was also attended by the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Sekyere Kumawu, Hon. Kwesi Amankwa, who commended the GEA and the Mastercard Foundation for targeting the district with the intervention.
He said the initiative aligns with the District Assembly’s own development agenda of empowering young people to be productive and self-reliant, rather than dependent on limited white-collar jobs.
Hon. Amankwa urged the beneficiaries to put their training and equipment to good use and to serve as examples to other youth in their communities.
He assured the beneficiaries of the Assembly’s support in linking them to local markets, extension services and other district-level support systems to help their businesses thrive.
BizBox is More Than Kits
For many of the beneficiaries, the intervention represents far more than the receipt of equipment. In Sekyere Kumawu, where youth unemployment and underemployment remain pressing challenges, access to practical skills and start-up capital is often the difference between idleness and enterprise.
The BizBox initiative seeks to bridge that gap. The Business in a Box (BizBox) project, a partnership between GEA and the Mastercard Foundation, is a five-year initiative aimed at creating dignified and fulfilling jobs for young people in Ghana.
The programme targets young people between 15 and 35 years, with a special focus on women and persons with disabilities, providing them with skills training, start-up kits, mentorship, and access to markets and finance.
Since its launch, the initiative has been rolled out across several districts nationwide, training thousands of young Ghanaians in various trades including agriculture, cosmetology, garment making, building and construction, and other artisanal and vocational skills.
For the 133 entrepreneurs in Kumawu, the next chapter now begins not in a classroom, but in their communities, kitchens, farms and processing centres. From training to enterprise, from skills to income, and from ideas to businesses, they are now equipped to build ventures that can create jobs, feed into the local economy, and support their families.
READ ALSO :FDA Orders Arcan Bitters Recall Over Sildenafil Citrate Adulteration
