The Ghana Enterprises Company (GEA) and the National Service Scheme (NSS) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to help young entrepreneurs and graduates in the country develop their entrepreneurial skills.
Under the one-year agreement, 15,000 youth entrepreneurs would be trained through the Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship (ICE) component of the GEA/ Mastercard Basis Younger Africa Works program.
A total of 5,000 graduates would receive assistance in preparing their business plans, while 2,000 younger entrepreneurs would receive aid in starting their own ventures.
Mrs Kosi Yankey-Ayeh, the GEA Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and Osei Assibey Antwi, the Executive Director of NSS signed the Memorandum of Understanding.
Mrs. Yankey-Ayeh opined that the youth are at the center of government’s programs since they make up the vast majority of the population and the interventions must be developed to ensure that they live in an environment where they can contribute to the socio-economic growth of the country.
The goal of the collaboration, the Chief Executive Officer of the GEA explained, is to improve the relationship between the two organizations and help the government’s vision of creating jobs and businesses to combat the country’s rising youth unemployment.
“What we seek to do with this partnership is to support and design a business improvement programme to identify the youth who are coming through the NSS who are interested in starting their own business and helping them through the various intervention programs we have.”
Mrs.Yankey-Ayeh
Deployment of Graduates
Mr. Assibey, on his part, said the MoU was in tune with NSS’s determination to position itself as a catalyst for youth employment, as instructed by President Nana Akufo-Addo, in addition to its role of mobilizing and deploying graduates.
“This year, for instance, we have done more than 110 deployments but the sad aspect of it is that at the end of the year, you will see them going home. So, what do we do to retain them?”
Mr. Assibey
Mr. Assibey indicated that the National Service Scheme had established an employment hub to assist unemployed graduates through institutional partnership with the Ghana Enterprises Company and others to address the issue at hand.
The Executive Director further posited the pact with the MoU was the first of the three pilot projects, adding that there was another with Agri-impact, an organization that is into green housing, vegetable growing and exportation.
Mr. Assibey acknowledged the country’s graduates’ abilities and expertise but said that they needed to be honed a bit more in order to be ready for business success.
“So, as for the graduates, they have a lot of skills, so our prayer and the main goal is to collaborate with GEA/Youth Africa Works in creating dignified work for the Ghanaian young people because they have the know-how.
“They are professionals. Now that the youth have gone into tertiary education, they have gotten the know-how. What is left now is for us to sharpen their skills a little bit so that they can be on their own because a lot of them went into university with the mindset that with you supporting us, we can do a lot, and now the Ghanaian youth will have a future.”
Mr. Assibey
READ ALSO: Educate Your Employees On The Importance Of Financial Planning- Financial Expert To Employers
