It is not everyone who gets a mention in the Forbes Magazine. To think that you 24-years-old and you doubted you would get the support you need to push you to establish anything. 

For John Armah, making a difference in the lives of young people has always been a dream. Dynamic, smart, resourceful, visionary...no better words can describe the 24-year-old CEO.

“My passion is to reduce unemployment, my ultimate goal is looking out for where the jobs are in Ghana and how to get young people those jobs,” John told JOY BUSINESS VAN's Daryl Kwawu as he walked him into his office located at North Kaneshie in Accra.

Mr Armah owns Orios Group which has three subsidiaries; Business advisory firm, Ghana Centre for Entrepreneurship, Employment and Innovation, Trade Invest, an agribusiness advisory and farm management firm and Orios Capital, a patient capital investments firm.

His entrepreneurship drive started while he was a teen when he decided to set up a job recruitment agency for young people his age.

“Initially, I asked myself if I was on the right path. At every point, I didn’t have money to continue or I had people who said I couldn’t make it, I thought to myself, would it work?” a reflective John said.

But Mr Armah wouldn’t keep his passion to himself. He has mentored several young people to get to where he is by periodically organizing seminars and helping them build capacity. He has inspired over 10,000 young people in six years.

As time went by, each year he saw progress in the number of people who would walk up to him and say, “John I was at this event of yours and I got inspiration to take my business to the next level”.

Some of the young people he has mentored include Gideon Padi Konotey, owner of agribusiness firm, Goat Masters and  CEO of Oasis Websoft, Raindolf Owusu.

“The stories are my breakthrough. I want to see a world where young people see themselves as having the best potential ever and knowing they can be whatever they want to be regardless of their age”, John remarked.

Mr Armah's hard work has chalked him several accolades; the recent being listed among the 2016 class of 30 outstanding African entrepreneurs under the age of 30 by popular American business magazine Forbes.

“It validates the work we are doing. It shows that we have a business that will continue to grow to affect a lot more lives. It’s been worth this journey and it tells me there is hope,” Mr Armah said.

Mr Armah is just warming up he said. He wants to support a lot of Ghanaian startups. Not only build their capacity but provide them with funding.