The Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Authority (NYA) has urged startup businesses to take advantage of the YouthConnekt Ghana platform to acquire the necessary skills to grow their businesses.

Speaking at a gathering of academics and young entrepreneurs to discuss the new platform launched in June 2019, Sylvester Tetteh noted that the platform is for entrepreneurs to meet and share ideas and also pitch their products for funding.

 “Everybody has something to contribute to our society that is why we have created a platform for these young ones to be able to pitch, compete and bring their innovation to bear for policymakers to be able to support them,” he said.

The YouthConnekt platform is a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) initiative which combines physical and virtual platform for young innovators to connect in areas such as ICT, entrepreneurship, agri-business, and civic engagement.

The platform seeks to empower young people through the acquisition of up-to-date skills and training to promote employment, entrepreneurship opportunities, connect them with leaders and role models as well as facilitate peer exchange of ideas to shape a better future for the youth.

Mr Tetteh further revealed the Authority will launch an innovative programme that will provide support for the best innovator on the platform to promote their businesses.

“We have a price up to about $50,000 to support young people to be able to support grow their businesses,” he noted.

The Economic Analyst of UNDP, Sylvia Senu also added that the platform is multidimensional and was hopeful that stakeholders’ engagement would yield the expected results.

“It has an innovation platform, it has women and gender empowerment platform, it has a skills development platform, it has opportunities or employment platform,” she stated.

“If this platform is supported by all including businesses and the youth, it is going to open up space for opportunities for the young people themselves,” she added