Nana Yaa Amo speaking at the event
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ENAS Hybrid Schools in Kumasi, Nana Yaa Amo, has called on the government to create an enabling environment for indigenous businesses to flourish and foster a culture of entrepreneurship.
Speaking at the 48th congregation of the Christian Service University (CSU) last Saturday, Nana Yaa Amo underscored the challenges facing local entrepreneurs.
She noted that many individuals hesitate to invest their savings in business ventures due to uncertainty about the business environment.
She urged stakeholders to organise regular programmes to promote interest in local entrepreneurship, emphasizing the critical role of the private sector as the engine of national economic growth.
Addressing the theme, “Developing a National Policy Towards Job Creation in Ghana: The Role of Key Stakeholders,” she encouraged the government to collaborate with financial institutions to provide low-interest loans and grants to young entrepreneurs. Access to affordable credit, she noted, remains a significant challenge for startups.
Nana Yaa Amo also called for simplified and transparent systems to reduce bureaucratic hurdles in business registration and permit acquisition, which often deter aspiring entrepreneurs.
While acknowledging the introduction of policies like the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Plan (NEIP) and the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), she stressed the need for improvements.
She pointed to the stiff competition local businesses face from foreign-owned enterprises, which often benefit from tax holidays, grants, and other incentives, creating an uneven playing field that hampers indigenous growth.
The CEO advocated for an audit and evaluation of government youth employment programs to ensure transparency, sustainability, and the achievement of their objectives in creating decent jobs for school leavers.
Prof. Samuel Kofi Afrane, Vice Chancellor of CSU, also highlighted the university’s academic achievements, including 49 publications in the 2024/2025 academic year, five of which were authored books.
He noted that CSU had achieved charter status, granting it autonomy to award its own degrees, and assured stakeholders of a smooth transition to its new status.
The Vice Chancellor urged the graduating class to uphold the moral and ethical values instilled by the university and apply them in their personal and professional lives.
A total of 476 students graduated, including 236 undergraduates (50%), 214 postgraduates (45%), and 26 certificate recipients (5%).
“These students fulfilled the requirements set by mentor universities such as the University of Ghana (UG), University of Cape Coast (UCC), and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST),” he stated.
FROM David Afum, Kumasi