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Story by, Paul Mensah Nsor
The President of the Ghana Youth Federation, Sherif Ghali, has called for increased investment in youth entrepreneurship and broader public awareness of the government’s Adwumawura Programme, describing it as a critical intervention to tackle youth unemployment.
Speaking during a press interview at “The Adwumawura Dialogue in Accra: A Private Sector Engagement on Youth Funding in Ghana,” held at the Stanbic Incubator at Silver Star Towers in Accra, Mr. Ghali said the forum was organized by the Ghana Chamber of Young Entrepreneurs (GCYE) to gather direct feedback from young people on the programme’s implementation.
He said the dialogue was necessary because public funds are being invested in supporting young entrepreneurs through the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), making it important for beneficiaries to have a voice in assessing its effectiveness.
“The government has committed significant resources to support young entrepreneurs through Adwumawura and NEIP. As an organisation representing young people, we felt it was important to bring them together to tell us what they think about the programme, the challenges they have faced and the improvements they would like to see,” Mr. Ghali stated.
The forum served as a non-partisan platform for participants to share experiences and recommendations. Mr. Ghali said the views gathered will be compiled into a position paper for presentation to the President and implementing agencies.
“I do not want to sit on ministerial advisory boards and speak on behalf of young people without listening to them. I want to hear directly from them so that when I engage policymakers, I can accurately convey what the youth themselves are saying,” he said.
Mr. Ghali argued that youth development should be treated as a national priority alongside health and education. “If we get health, education and youth development right, many of the country’s economic challenges will naturally fall into place,” he noted.
He urged government to significantly increase support for the Adwumawura Programme, citing persistent youth unemployment despite economic recovery efforts. “Youth unemployment is still a challenge and frustration among young people is mounting. We need to move faster in creating opportunities for them. One of the quickest ways is to support entrepreneurship and provide funding for young people who want to create their own jobs,” he said.
As part of proposed reforms, Mr. Ghali called for the transformation of NEIP from a programme into a statutory Youth Entrepreneurship Development Agency with a clear legal mandate. He said legal backing would ensure continuity and sustainability regardless of changes in government.
Under the first cohort of the Adwumawura Programme, approximately 10,000 young people received entrepreneurship training over five weeks, with 3,000 entrepreneurs eventually selected for funding support. Having served on the grant management committee, Mr. Ghali expressed confidence in the selection process.
“I can confidently say that 3,000 young entrepreneurs were selected and funded after rigorous assessments. We travelled across the country to verify businesses and engage applicants. The process was not conducted from Accra alone,” he said.
Addressing concerns about political influence, Mr. Ghali maintained that the first cohort was implemented fairly. “Throughout the selection and funding process, no politician called us to influence decisions or provide lists of preferred beneficiaries. Based on my experience, the programme was implemented in a non-partisan manner,” he stated.
He encouraged all eligible young Ghanaians to apply for future cohorts. “If cohort two is implemented the same way as cohort one, every young Ghanaian should apply. Do not assume it is politically driven. Apply and see what happens,” he advised.
Mr. Ghali identified inadequate public sensitisation as a major challenge facing the programme. While acknowledging efforts by government and NEIP, he said many young people, particularly in rural communities, remain unaware of opportunities under Adwumawura.
He called for stronger collaboration between government and private sector bodies including the Ghana Chamber of Young Entrepreneurs, Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Association of Ghana Industries to expand awareness.
“Government programmes require aggressive sensitisation. Many young people are only hearing about Adwumawura today. We need stronger partnerships between government and the private sector to ensure that information reaches every corner of the country,” he said.
Mr. Ghali added that the dialogue forms part of a broader initiative to engage young people on government programmes targeted at youth development, including the National Apprenticeship Programme. The chamber intends to expand the engagement nationwide to ensure youth voices are reflected in policies financed with public resources.
