Government says it is keen on creating over one million jobs through the You-Start Support Programme which is currently being piloted with a capital injection of ₵10 billion.

According to the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), government will in the coming days be rolling-out interventions aimed at stimulating growth in the SMEs sector.

The Chief Executive Officer of the NEIP, Kofi Ofosu Nkansah called on SMEs in the country to take advantage of the various programmes being rolled-out to grow and expand their businesses.

Speaking on the sidelines of the launch of the Ghana Startups and SMEs Week, Kofi Ofosu Nkansah said, “Government is going to provide support through programmes like the Ghana Cares, Youth and Innovative”.

He explained that aside this, Agencies like the Ghana Enterprise Agency are rolling out a lot of entrepreneurship support programmes like the covid-19 grant programme under the Ghana economic transformation programme which is supposed to provide grant, support for SMEs to enable them to grow and expand their businesses.

Launching the programme, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry in charge of SMEs, Nana Ama Dokua Asiamah-Adjei said her outfit is ready to support and empower SMEs leverage on the various opportunities available to them to expand.

“It is against this backdrop that the government under the leadership of his excellency, Nana Addo-Danquah Akufu-Addo has put in place strategic measures to ensure that one, a hundred Ghanaian Companies are supported with various forms of assistance to export under the AFCFTA to the rest of Africa, duty-free quota-free”.

He pointed out that the implementation of the programme is being coordinated by the newly established National AFCFTA Office in Accra.

She assured that her Ministry will “continue to engage with the Business operators on issues relating to the export of goods under the AFCTA protocol. Two, the teeming youth who are over 60 percent of our population are better educated and equipped for the job market. She added that, “adding value to these skills is not only means of strengthening the development of vocational and technical skills of the youth but also encouraging entrepreneurship mindset and adult participation in life long learning opportunities”.

The Ghana Startups and SME’s Week which is under the theme: Innovate, Collaborate and Invest for greater Impact.