The Italian Agency for Cooperation and Development (AICS) has launched six new entrepreneurship programmes to increase job opportunities for Ghanaian youths, with a special focus on women and people with disabilities.
One of the project’s primary objectives is to create 1,620 direct jobs for youths, with 35 percent of these jobs going to women and those with disabilities.
AICS has expanded its collaboration with Ghana to enhance access to health, education and agriculture/agribusiness initiatives through six new programmes within the next three years.
The project, dubbed ‘Implementing New Solutions for the Professional Integration of Human Resources in Ghana’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem’ (INSPIRE), aims to boost long-lasting, inclusive and sustainable growth as well as full, fair and productive employment in Ghana.
The INSPIRE initiative – to be rolled out in five regions, namely Greater Accra, Ashanti, Northern, Bono, and Western – is designed to onboard 12 technical, vocational, education and training (TVET) institutions and six universities.
The implementing consortium of institutions included the University of Professional Studies Accra (UPSA), Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC), E4Impact Foundation, CRISP, VIS and Don Bosco Youth Network (DBYN).
Italian Ambassador to Ghana, Laura Ranalli, expressed that this initiative follows Ghana’s designation as a priority country for the Italian Government through its AICS development programmes, reflecting the strong bilateral relationship between the two nations.
She emphasised that by assigning 35 percent of these jobs to women, the scheme directly addresses gender imbalances in the Ghanaian labour market.
Minister for Youth Development and Empowerment, George Opare Addo, highlighted Ghana’s youthful population as a key asset for both local and global economies if equipped with the right skills.
“We are grateful to the Italian Government for this initiative. The programme is aligned with the government’s programmes to give the youth opportunities to explore, like the National Apprenticeship programme, Ajuma Wura, One Million Coders, and Feed Ghana Programme,” he said.
Director of Programmes, E4Impact Foundation, Fabio Petroni, elaborated that in terms of increasing employment opportunities for young Ghanaians, the project will strengthen school-to-work transition pathways and employment guidance services to foster demand-supply alignment.
“Our implementing institutions will organise workshops through public-private partnerships (PPP) to align school programmes with industry demands in all five regions, focusing on the competitive advantage of the area,” he said.
Key highlights of INSPIRE
Direct employment creation remains a key focus of the initiative, with about 1,620 jobs estimated to be provided, 35 percent for women and one percent for individuals with disabilities. There is also the focus of providing education and training to 4,615 youths, improving SME competitiveness and workforce absorption for 570 local firms.
West Africa Business Development Manager, E4Impact Foundation, Savior Agortimevor, shared that under the education and training arm of the programme, it will partner with universities, TVET institutions and entrepreneurship hubs to provide targeted technical and vocational training in high-growth areas.
The project is investing in the creation of realistic, market-oriented curricula and training programmes tailored to the changing needs of the business sector.
This aims to improve soft skills, including communication, leadership, teamwork and digital literacy; provide mentoring and education for emerging entrepreneurs; and internships and apprenticeships opportunities with hands-on industry experience.
The INSPIRE project also recognises that empowering SMEs is an important step toward long-term job creation; hence, will support SMEs through business development services such as coaching and strategic planning, access to affordable financing and investment readiness support, training in digital transformation and operational efficiency, and human resource development.
Italian Innovation Centre, UPSA
A very significant component of the initiative is the establishment of an ‘Italian Innovation Centre’ at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) Campus.
The centre will be host to Italian businesses who visit the country and an exhibition of Italian and Ghanaian technologies.
It will also develop four innovative entrepreneurial content for boosting the Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme and launching the SME growth, corporate innovation and internationalisation programmes for 540 local SMEs.
The centre will also roll out general and tailor-made business services.
