Seventy young
entrepreneurs below the ages of 40 years have benefited from the government’s
piloted YouStart Programme with a sponsorship amount of GH₵1.98million.
This is to support
youth-led Small and Medium Enterprises in the poultry, agro-processing-
processing, ICT, textiles, and food processing sectors.
Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, the
Minister of Finance made this known when he presented the 2023 Budget Statement
and Economic Policy in Parliament on Thursday.
He said the move was in
fulfilment of the government’s pledge to build an entrepreneurial state.
The Minister said the
Government had successfully signed an agreement with the Ghana Association of
Banks (GAB) and 11 other commercial entities for the implementation of the
commercial component of the programme.
He said the Government
had launched the District Entrepreneurship Programme (DEP) module of the
initiative and was looking to inaugurate the Commercial component of the
YouStart Programme by the end year to enable qualified beneficiaries to access
support.
A new module of the
programme in manufacturing is being developed to support the local production
and supply of components and spare parts for the automotive industry in the
country.
The Ministry of Trade and
Industry would launch and commence implementation of the policy in 2023 to
create jobs for the youth.