President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said entrepreneurship, an important component of Ghana’s economic growth, should be combined with technology and business to create sustainable jobs, particularly for the youth.
Globally, the President said, entrepreneurship has been embraced as an important driver of economic transformation and job creation.
Speaking at the fourth season of the Presidential Pitch held in Accra last Friday, President Akufo-Addo said the fastest way to confront the country’s economy and the unacceptable rate of unemployment was to fuse technology, entrepreneurship and business.
This year’s event on the theme: “Building a sustainable entrepreneurial nation; the role of our future Unicorns” saw Jennifer Kwakwa Sarpong, Bidigreen Ghana Limited, Ike Agyei Mensah, Deafcantalk, Bismark Etornam Mensah, Fetuli, Aphraim Bukari Adombila, Hatiah Organics Africa and Kwabena Tuffour, Prosect Feed Limited as part of the ten finalists.
The rest are Adriana Appiagyei Nsiah Nimo, Reecoplast, Kwaku Ansu Aforo, Recco Solutions, Daniel Amaza Philips, Scibble Works, Georgina Odom, Useful Waste Limited and Caleb Edem Martey, Relu Interactions.
According to the President, youth entrepreneurship is an appropriate tool for addressing youth unemployment challenges in this dispensation.
He said 702 direct jobs and thousands of indirect jobs had been created by the past winners of seasons one, two and three with the majority being created in rural areas.
“I Want to single out the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Pizza Pizzaman Chicken, Christian Boakye Yiadom the tenth place winner from season two for his success thus far,” he stressed.
President Akufo-Addo explained that the National Entrepreneurship Programme, which was established in 2017 with a seed fund of $ 10 million and the NEIP as a special purpose vehicle, had continued to champion the agenda of job creation, innovation and business development in the country’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
He said under the government’s flagship programmes, such as the Presidential Start-ups Support Programme, Presidential Empowerment for Male Entrepreneurs with Disability, Student Entrepreneurship Initiative and Campus Business Pitch had created 75,000 entrepreneurs and built their capacities to enhance their businesses.
The President said all these initiatives were in tandem with the New Patriotic Party, which exists on the premise that development of the economy was important.
He assured that the NEIP would continue to serve as the catalyst that integrates innovation and creates access to market linkages for beneficiaries.
The government earmarked GHC2.5million for this year’s pitch and the overall winner would receive GHC150,000 as prize money from the previous GHC100,000.
In addition, President Akufo-Addo gave the overall winner personal money of GHC50,000 an increase from the GHC25,000 of the previous sum.
Rex Mainoo Yeboah, ISD
