Thousands of entrepreneurs, innovators, and young leaders took to the streets of Accra on Saturday, November 1, in a powerful show of unity and ambition, marching for job creation, youth empowerment, and sustainable economic growth across Africa.

The Global Entrepreneurship Festival (GEF) officially began its countdown to this year’s main event with "The 5,000 Entrepreneurs March", the world’s largest entrepreneurship walk, held at the Elwak Sports Stadium.

The walk was held as a prelude to GEF 2025, which also marks the start of preparations for what organisers describe as “the world’s largest entrepreneurship gathering,” a three-day experiential festival set to take place in Accra from 21st to 23rd November 2025.

The upcoming event is expected to convene over 10,000 entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, and business leaders from more than 70 countries, alongside a virtual audience exceeding 10 million.

Speaking to the media, Dr Summy Smart Francis, Project Lead for GEF, said the march was more than just a symbolic walk.

“This is just to show that Ghana is read. You can see the energy, the passion, the drive. You saw the placards. This is not a protest, this is a movement," he said.

"This is an entrepreneurship movement to raise awareness on entrepreneurship, job creation, poverty eradication, sustainability, climate action and many other things that entrepreneurship stands for.”

Dr Francis described young people and entrepreneurs as the driving force of Africa’s economic future.

“These people you see right here are the energy of the economy, not just in Ghana but across Africa,” he said.

When asked how the festival will impact young entrepreneurs, he pointed to the opportunities it creates both before and during the event.

“Even before the festival, you can see how many vendors are here selling things and making money,” he said.
“We will have exhibitions, business pitch rooms for entrepreneurs to attract investment, conferences, leadership forums, and partnership deal rooms. It’s too big, it’s a festival.”

He added that the festival has full government backing, with participation from the Minister of Youth and Employment, the Minister of Communication, and the support of the President of Ghana.

“This is a national pride, this is also a continental pride,” he added.

The Global Entrepreneurship Festival (GEF) is hosted by the Entrepreneurship Village, often referred to as Africa’s Silicon Valley. It is an initiative of the Africa’s Young Entrepreneurs Organisation (A.Y.E), one of the continent’s foremost entrepreneurship networks.

Each year, the festival brings together global innovators and business leaders to celebrate the power of entrepreneurship and its role in driving Africa’s economic transformation.