Government has successfully piloted the YouStart programme to help individuals and groups start up their own businesses since March 2022.
“Mr. Speaker, a total amount of GH¢1.98 million was disbursed under the pilot to 46 individuals and 8 associations/groups (with membership of between 6 and 45) based on specific needs to enable them scale up their businesses and contribute to the job creation agenda of the government”, Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta, Minister for Finance told Parliament during the presentation of the mid-year review budget statement on Monday.
YouStart is a vehicle through which the government intends to provide funding and technical support to youth and youth-led businesses to assist them to start, build and grow their own businesses.
Mr. Ofori-Atta indicated that “Over 70 participants across the country went through a two-week mandatory training to equip them with the requisite skills in entrepreneurship, financial management, good corporate governance, marketing and customer service, among others”.
He urged personnel of the Nation Builders Corps, who are exiting in the two months, to take advantage of the YouStart programme.
“Mr. Speaker, our iconic National Builder’s Corps (NaBCo) programme, which was initially to run for three years and extended for an additional year, will be completed by 1st September, 2022. The programme, which engaged a 100,000 young graduates, has prepared thousands of them for the world of work.
“So far, we have invested approximately GH¢2.2 billion.
“As they exit, the current cohort on the programme are encouraged to take advantage of the YouStart initiative and other existing programmes in our drive to build an entrepreneurial nation”, he urged.
Government’s policy, Mr. Ofori-Atta added, “is to support dynamic young entrepreneurs access training and funds to build their businesses and become a significant pool of job providers for their fellow young people”.
