Reducing Unemployment Among The Youth Of Ghana Through Entrepreneurship YOUTH INNOVATE

Problem Description Brain Drain Youth Unemployment Poverty Social Vices 25 % unemployment rate since 2012 and still soaring 4 out of every 10 Ghanaian live in poverty 47% of college graduates seek greener pastures abroad Prostitution, drug abuse, armed robbery, teenage pregnancy

Findings No trades/vocations or job placements for Junior and Senior High Schools Education and training not linked to the needs of economy 47% of college graduates from Ghana are seeking greener pastures abroad Increase in social vices such as drug abuse, prostitution, armed robbery, teenage pregnancy etc. 1 out of every 2 unemployed youth wants to start a business on his/her own 1 out of every 3 of them have been looking for a paying job without success 68% of respondents have tried their hands on something on their own

Solution An entrepreneurship project where selected youth go through a rigorous vocation/technical training after which they get some seed funding and start their own businesses to create wealth and employment Profits from the project will be invested back into it to scale the project across the regions Selection TrainingSeed Funding 1.Conduct an interview 2. Select talented candidates with at least SHS and some basic vocational/technical skills 1.Conduct an interview 2. Select talented candidates with at least SHS and some basic vocational/technical skills 1.Enroll a maximum od 100 qualified candidates 2. Candidates go through 6 months rigorous training in their selected disciplines 1.Enroll a maximum od 100 qualified candidates 2. Candidates go through 6 months rigorous training in their selected disciplines 1.Graduants form teams 1.Teams come up with a business idea and business proposal 2. Ideas and teams are evaluated by experiences serial entrepreneurs 3.Qualified teams get seed funding 1.Graduants form teams 1.Teams come up with a business idea and business proposal 2. Ideas and teams are evaluated by experiences serial entrepreneurs 3.Qualified teams get seed funding

Implementation Problem Identification Launch Pilot Co-operation Launch Nationwide Conduct primary research to better understand the main problem, its causes and consequences Establish partnerships with stakeholders involved. Targets are NVTI, NBSSI,NYEP Once the pilot is successful. The project will be replicated in the rest of the country Validate, quantify and qualify the project with a maximum of 20 young people. NVTI – National Vocational Training Institute NBSSI – National Board for Small Scale Industries NYEP – National Youth Employment Program