The Minister of Trade and Industries, Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, has stated that there is an urgent need to foster a generation of young entrepreneurs who will take advantage of the opportunities available in the country to promote economic growth.
That, he said, could start when entrepreneurship was inculcated in children as part of their formal education and upbringing to raise personalities for the sector.
According to him, as the country moved towards a private sector-oriented economy, it needed young entrepreneurs who had the knowledge and business culture to exploit opportunities to create wealth.
Dr Spio-Garbrah made the remarks at the launch of the 2014 Global Entrepreneurship Week -Ghana campaign (GEW-Ghana) in Accra.
The Global Entrepreneurship Week campaign is a worldwide movement aimed at encouraging the youth to engage in start-up business and initiating new firms.
The GEW-Ghana, which is being facilitated by Youth Enhancement International in Ghana, will be observed from November 17 to November 23, 2014.
Unleashing ideas
With the potential to create employment opportunities and reduce concentration on economic powers, Dr Spio-Garbrah said entrepreneurship played a major role in promoting economic growth.
“I strongly believe that the future of our economic growth, technology innovation, job creation and even the expansion of financing for business will depend on the success of our entrepreneurs of today”, he stated.
While expressing concern about the Unemployed Graduates Association of Ghana, he said it was baffling for graduates to form such an association instead of exploiting untapped opportunities in the country.
He, therefore, urged the youth to take advantage of the GEW-Ghana and form their own firms and business, especially in the area of export to boost the economy.
The minister pledged the ministry’s support to the GEW-Ghana and said it was a laudable initiative which would serve as the vehicle to bring together individuals, leaders and organisations to promote entrepreneurship, as well as encourage the youth to unleash their ideas.
The revolution
The Chief Executive Officer of the KAMA Group, Dr Michael Agyekum, also indicated that entrepreneurship was a revolution which the youth in Ghana needed to embrace and look out for what they could offer instead of waiting for jobs to be created for them.
The Founder of the Youth Enhancement International, Mr Stephen Gyasi – Kwaw, said the programme had over the years received the recognition of government leaders as they had begun to accept entrepreneurship as the way forward.
Source: Graphic
