Youth engagement is vital for entrepreneurial growth – US Embassy

Press Attaché for the United States Embassy in Ghana, Naomi Mattos has advised that for entrepreneurship to fully be functional, it is vital to engage the youth to explore the possibilities of possessing their own business ventures.

Naomi Mattos said the move will enable the youth to mitigate the cycles of poverty that have riddled many country’s economies over a period.

“Youth participation and engagement is vital to developing entrepreneurship that will eventually mitigate the cycles of poverty, build resilient and democratic societies, improve health outcomes and strengthen economies,” she stated.

She made this known speaking at the 5th Young African Leaders Entrepreneurs Summit (YALES) at the University of Ghana, Legon-Accra on November 9 on the theme; "Developing Ideas for Action; the Role of Young Leaders and Entrepreneurs in the 21st Century"

According to her, the United States government is committed to sharing and helping young entrepreneurs by offering several exchange programs and shared opportunities to help promote development in their communities.

“Between the 2018-2019 academic year, over 3,200 young Ghanaians studied at 630 colleges and universities in the United States in various fields and we love to see those number increase to advance the cause of young people and their direct participation will make immense contributions towards transforming their communities” she disclosed.



Mattos recommended that the youth must also be equipped to develop as well-rounded individuals and to contribute to the societies in which they live.

Deputy Commission General at the Electoral Commission, Dr. Bossman Asare on his part endorsed for the need to raise private sector capital in a bid to transform Africa’s young entrepreneurs adding that the public sector alone cannot deliver that vision.

Young African Leaders Entrepreneurs Summit

Organised by the Institute of Applied Human Excellence of Ghana, the fifth edition of the summit brought together business leaders, young entrepreneurs, persons in academia to discuss how to deepen the collaboration between industry and academia through entrepreneurship and leadership.

Project Manager for the Young African Leaders Entrepreneurs Summit, Prince Busia Opoku in an interview with GhanaWeb said the objective of the summit was to equip young leaders, especially in tertiary education with the right skills to scale up their developmental visions.

“We want tertiary students to begin to connect with their communities through entrepreneurship while they are pursuing their studies. We also want them to begin to find solutions rather than waiting until when they are done with school to figure out their lives,” Opoku added.