Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta revealed that the YouStart initiative has positively impacted 26,626 individuals nationwide since its inception last year. The program’s primary focus is to equip participants with entrepreneurial skills, investment readiness tools, and valuable coaching and mentoring services.
Additionally, the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme has actively supported 30 Business and Innovation Hubs with grants, aimed at assisting startups in communities throughout the country. Each Hub received up to USD$180,000 and is expected to support 20 start-ups each. The minister also announced plans to establish 15 new Hubs in the second half of the year to expand their reach across Ghana.
Furthermore, the government remains committed to collaborating with Participating Financial Institutions, the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), and the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) to provide soft loans and essential managerial skills for the establishment of youth-led enterprises. The Hubs Acceleration Grant Programme, launched in April 2023 with support from the Ghana Economic Transformation Project (GETP), underpins these efforts.