Over 180 young entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs and special guests took
part in the Ghana Youth Entrepreneurship Convention.
The event was organised by Child and Youth Finance International’s Ye! initiative and the Youth Business Network Foundation in partnership with
Mastercard Foundation and the Player’s of the People’s Postcode Lottery, and with support from the
Ministry of Business Development, the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Plan and the National
Youth Authority.
The Ghana Youth Entrepreneurship Convention was the unique in that it was purely youth focused.
The event was open to young entrepreneurs 31 years of age or younger with established enterprises.
Various sessions during the two-day convention provided a space for the attendees to learn from and
pose questions to their peers, get answers from some of Ghana’s top investors and ask questions and learn from panel discussions with national authorities as well as attend various trainings and workshops focusing on leadership, business and financial management.
The sessions offered concrete takeaways
and actionable insights for young entrepreneurs to use.
Opening the event, the Ye! Chapter Ambassador for Ghana, Wilson Ayinbangya Amooro stressed the
importance that “young entrepreneurs be local solutions to our local problems,” expressing the need for enhancing the capacities of youth to enterprise and support their communities.
On the opening day, the Convention featured a youth panel on voices from progressive youth entrepreneurs who shared their experiences, followed by q&a with investors on SME finance, a training
on financial management from Deloitte Ghana and the day closed with a training on business management and leadership by Inspired Leaders Network.
Day two featured a workshop on business
management led by African Aurora Business Network, q&a with young women entrepreneurs on branding and innovation, followed by a panel discussion with key ecosystem players on “Investing in youth – how to build a stronger ecosystem for youth-led enterprises,” with the final training led by Youth Empowerment Synergy Ghana (Yes-Ghana) focusing on leadership and closed with a speech from Empretec Ghana’s head of Business Development, Mr. Jacob K. Ganye.
During the first morning’s investor Q&A, CEO of Orios Group, John Armah, a Forbes 30 under 30 entrepreneur of 2016 told the audience, “This year is a good year to be in business.
Money is coming to Ghana this year,” offering a hot take to youth entrepreneurs in attendance. His fellow investor in the
q&a, Renald Appiah, Senior Investment Associate with Wangara Capital Partners, seconded this statement telling youth entrepreneurs to “Be prepared and ready their businesses for investment,” to
close out the discussion.
During the panel discussion on the second day of the Convention featuring key ecosystem players who shared their views on how to create a stronger ecosystem for youth entrepreneurs, Mumuni Sulemana,
Progammes and Operations Director at the National Youth Authority, under the auspice of the Ministry of Youth and Sport, stated that the NYA is committed to champion the needs of youth entrepreneurs to help them succeed and grow. To this end the he stated, “the NYA is releasing a draft national strategy
document on entrepreneurship.” This was followed by Michael Darko, Managing Partner at PhoenixAfrica Capital Management Ltd, Board Member of the National Board for Small Scale Industries,
stating that, “What Ghana needs is a national MSME policy to enhance the ecosystem and ensure
consistency across ministries.”
Panelists also made recommendations on how the youth and the government could collaborate to create a stronger ecosystem. When the panel was over the young
entrepreneurs followed Mr. Sulemana and Mr. Darko out to door, continuing to ask questions.
The Ghana Youth Entrepreneurship Convention brought together young entrepreneurs from across the country, some coming from as far as the Ye! Chapter in Bolgatanga to participate in the Convention.
It demonstrated the need for continuing dialogue between the public and private sector and the need for easier access to information and resources offered by the government to create an ecosystem which
fosters the growth of youth-led enterprises in Ghana. Youth took the Convention as an opportunity to ask questions, learn from experiences of business experts, and expand their networks to grow their
enterprises.