The World Bank is providing financing and technical support to the Government of Ghana (GoG) for the implementation of the Ghana Jobs and Skills Project. The Project is considered as one of the main forms of support for the government’s top-priority agenda of upgrading skills among the country’s population, creating more and better-quality jobs, and improving job outcomes for youth. It connects success in these areas to state stability, social cohesion, and economic inclusion.
The Project supports the government’s prioritized skills development and job creation agenda, through four main components and a Contingent Emergency Response;
-
1: Provision of Apprenticeship Training for Jobs being implemented by the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET)
-
2: Provision of Entrepreneurship and Small and Micro Enterprise Support for Jobs
-
2.1 Provision of entrepreneurship training and competitive business start-up grants to individuals for jobs being implemented by the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA)
-
2.2 Provision of competitive grants to private enterprises for expanded employment being implemented by the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET)
-
-
3: Operationalization of the Ghana Labor Market Information System, Upgradation of District Public Employment Centers and Services, and Independent Performance Reviews of Selected Government Youth Employment and Skills Development Programs being implemented by the Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations (MELR)
-
4: Capacity Development, Technical Assistance, and Project Management Support to Coordinating, Implementing, and Partnering Agencies for Enhanced Skills and Jobs Impact being implemented by the Ministry of Finance (MoF).
The Ghana Enterprises Agency – an Agency under the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI), is implementing Subcomponent 2.1 of the Project. The Agency will provide entrepreneurship training to 50,000 youth who have the potential to start a business.
Three levels of entrepreneurship training will be offered: basic, intermediate, and advanced. The training will be based on standardized, quality-assured packages in different locations nationwide. All training will be delivered using an experiential participatory approach conducive for adult learning and will also be district based and non-residential.
All advanced training participants will receive mentoring and coaching support, which encompasses guidance to prepare business plans, meet business registration and licensing requirements, and connect with input and output markets. Short duration internship, mentoring and guidance sessions would be arranged for some selected beneficiaries.
5,000 selected youth who successfully undergo training up to the intermediate and advance levels would be eligible for Business Startup Grants. These grants will be available to individuals and self-formed groups, with high potential to succeed in business, and operating in any sector aside from the extraction of natural resources.
The start-up grants will be provided for the following:
-
Purchase of machinery and equipment, or technology (software, process technology, etc.)
-
Start-up business investments targeted at productivity and growth such as marketing and sales, innovation efforts, or operational efficiency
-
Working capital, such as purchase of raw materials and consumables, and payment of salaries, rents, and other accounts payables
-
Payment for technical advisory services, training, and subscriptions to platforms
-
Payment for regulatory compliance, e.g., RGD, FDA registration and license, GSA certification, etc.
-
Start-ups seeking to provide essential goods that helps to mitigate against the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic or any other disease that may pose a threat to the nation
Eligibility Criteria (Who Qualifies to Apply)
The following category of youth will be targeted:
-
Persons from 18 to 40 years old
-
Minimum of Basic Education Certificate Examination
-
Willingness to start a business
-
School dropouts already in a business would be considered
-
Special attention would be given to women and Persons with Disabilities (PWD)
You will need the following documents to complete your application
-
Digital Address
-
Valid National ID Card preferably “Ghana Card”
-
Certificate of the most recent education attained
-
Valid mobile number
All advanced training participants will receive mentoring and coaching support, which encompasses guidance to prepare business plans, meet business registration and licensing requirements, and connect with input and output markets. Short duration internship, mentoring and guidance sessions would be arranged for some selected beneficiaries
5,000 selected youth who successfully undergo training up to the intermediate level would be eligible for Business Startup Grants. These grants will be available to individuals and self-formed groups, majority-owned by Ghanaians, with high potential to succeed in business, and operating in any of the non-resource-based sectors
What to expect from the Project
The Ghana Jobs and Skills Project will follow 5 simple steps
Registration and application for the project is targeted at Ghanaians from the ages of 18 to 40 with at least Basic Education Certificate Examination qualification and willing to start a business. School dropouts already in a business would be considered for this project as well. Special attention would be given to women and Persons with Disabilities (PWD)
Shortlisted applicants would be invited by GEA Officers in their respective locations for a readiness screening/needs assessment exercise for verification of data provided by applicants and identification of needs for Entrepreneurship Development.
A district based and non-residential Entrepreneurship Training would be conducted at 3 levels: basic, intermediate, and advanced using an experiential participatory approach conducive for adult learning
The Coaching and Mentoring support would be provided to beneficiaries who progress to the advance level to finalize their business plans, meeting of licensing and registration requirements, testing of products on the market. Short duration internship, mentoring and guidance sessions would be arranged for some selected beneficiaries
5,000 selected youth (individual or self-formed groups) who successfully undergo training up to the intermediate and advance levels would be eligible for Business Startup Grants. They must demonstrate high potential to succeed in business, and operating in any sector aside from the extraction of natural resources
THANK YOU for constantly reading our stories. Kindly like, comment and SHARE stories on all social media platforms for more entertaining updates!
TO GET YOUR EXCLUSIVE INFO PUBLISHED ONLINE?
Call or WhatsApp our Editor on +233208291107/0546509004 for Your Massive promo. You can equally email your stories or articles to info@xpressghonline.com or fuzzygh2016@gmail.com and we’ll surely put them online at www.xpressghonline.com or www.smartghonline.com