The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), Eric Adjei, has called for the development of integrated systems across Africa to transform innovative ideas into sustainable businesses and jobs.

Speaking at the International Conference on Business Innovation and Incubation in South Africa on October 1, Mr Adjei said Africa’s growing youth population was producing innovative solutions in areas including technology, climate-smart solutions, financial technology, manufacturing, healthcare and education.

He said the continent’s challenge was no longer simply generating ideas but creating systems that could provide innovators with financing, market access, mentorship and institutional support to take their ideas from conception to commercialisation.

He said Ghana was therefore building an integrated entrepreneurial ecosystem connecting training, incubation, mentorship, technology, financing, market access and partnerships.

He said Africa must increasingly build an interconnected innovation ecosystem where research, capital, technology and talent can move across borders to solve problems and create sustainable businesses.