President John Dramani Mahama has rolled out the Adwumawura programme, another of his campaign promises, to create sustainable jobs for the Ghanaian youth.
The initiative is expected to incubate 10,000 new businesses and accelerate existing ones for the youth and is estimated to create 20,000 jobs annually.
It seeks to stimulate youth employment, entrepreneurship, and innovation across strategic sectors of the economy.
The initiative would provide business development training, access to funding, coaching and mentorship, technological support and access to machinery and equipment, access to market and facilitation, and around the clock business advisory services.
Beneficiaries are expected to apply online with a neutral body put in place to vet the applications to select successful applicants based on scalability, sustainability and potential for job creation.
Areas for support are agribusiness, garments and clothing, fashion designing, engineering, catering, and cosmetics, amongst others.
Launching the programme here in the Ashanti Regional capital, Kumasi, yesterday, President Mahama described the initiative as an ambitious undertaking, necessary to secure a prosperous and a resilient future for the youth.
“This programme is not like the others that were announced in the recent past with fanfare but proved to be mirages without adequate funding to sustain them.
“Adwumawura is fully funded with adequate allocation provided in the 2025 budget,” he assured.
President Mahama emphasized that the programme was designed to be inclusive, youth-led and Ghanaian-owned regardless of educational background or any other consideration.
He announced that in line with his government’s commitment to inclusivity and equity, at least 60 per cent of beneficiaries would be drawn from women and girls, persons living with disability, rural and vulnerable population, unemployed and underemployed youth and other marginalised and underserved groups.
“Through this programme, we aim to significantly reduce Ghana’s youth unemployment rate and contribute meaningfully to reducing the global needs indicator.”
To further bolster market access, President Mahama said an annual national Adwumawura trade and exhibition was to be instituted for beneficiary companies to showcase their creativity, innovation, product and services.
“To the youth of Ghana, the Adwumawura programme is your platform, your opportunity to create, build and lead. Let your dreams take flight and let your innovations find expression,” he charged and called on all stakeholders to support the programme for a successful outcome.
Mr George Opare-Addo, the Minister of Youth Development and Empowerment, on his part said his outfit would work hard to make the programme a success to create the needed jobs for the teeming unemployed youth.
He called on the youth to take advantage of the initiative to become employers rather than job seekers
FROM JULIUS YAO PETETSI, KUMASI
