YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP

ARA IN GHANA aims to help young people discover and develop their potential, develop leadership skills, and cultivate value creation abilities. By addressing knowledge gaps and providing educational training and capacity enhancement programs, ARA IN GHANA empowers young individuals to make informed decisions and contribute to sustainable human development.

ARA IN GHANA currently operates in three major regions in Ghana, Accra, Central Region and Eastern region and has carried out projects across these regions. We leverage collaborations with a wide range of partners both locally and internationally who share our focus on youth development.

Our organization is driven by qualified and certified experts who are passionate about youth development. We are supported by a board of trustees who provide effective guidance, establish clear organisational vision, and set the direction for ARA IN GHANA activities.

Entrepreneurship and self-employment remains an important economic activity for a majority
of research participants in both countries, either alone or in partnership with someone else. Young people identified local economic opportunities and were confident in their ability to create and manage new businesses. While young people in Ghana often turned to self-employment out of necessity, entrepreneurship is a chosen opportunity for some. When asked if they would prefer to have a formal permanent job or their own business, the majority of participants across both countries
reported that they would prefer to have their own business.

Overall, ARA IN GHANA strives to create a positive impact on the lives of young people in Ghana by equipping them with the necessary skills, knowledge, and opportunities for personal growth and meaningful contributions to society. We are able to meet these goals through our Tech4Development program, sexual and reproductive health outreach, and library development initiatives.

Our Funding Priorities Areas

Youth in Agriculture

Ongoing Projects

Youth in Agriculture

For most African countries, agriculture remains the largest employer of any sector in the economy.
Agriculture employs about 65% of the total work labor force in SSA. Though there has been decline
in the relative number of agriculture workers, it still accounts for a majority of the working population
in the region 22 . Many SSA countries have a farming population that is greater than the rural population. It is therefore the logical sector to focus on when designing polices to provide jobs for youth. “Efforts to accelerate agricultural growth and improve food security have often been separated conceptually from efforts to create jobs for young people…. Agriculture, already

There is also a higher level of mismatched skills in SSA. The rate of unemployment among the better educated is low in SSA compared to the unemployment rates of the less or uneducated, and low skilled workers.19 Among the labor force, those who are classified as having a ‘wage job’ make up only 16% of the workforce, with almost 62% of the remainder working on family farms and 22% engaged in household enterprises 20. Youth employment in Africa is a problem, and it may appear to be more of a problem because the focus is on wage jobs. Instead, the focus should be on tapping the dynamism and resourcefulness of youth to establish productive and pro-poor ventures, especially in agriculture, and helping them to create jobs for themselves (and others) within the agriculture value
chain.

Agriculture has played a vital role in African economic growth and social improvement. It has absorbed the highest percentage of the working population (about 65%). It contributes about 30% of the GDP in most countries. It is vital to economic growth, generating incomes, and creating jobs. For now and the near future, it is and will remain the employment growth sector for most countries. The opportunities for youth in the agriculture sector and along the production and marketing value chain need to be
explored to create wealth and grow the economy. In discussing the opportunities and constraints of
agriculture markets.

They are:

  1. A high value added products market, such as horticulture products (including fruits, vegetables and flowers), directly linked with new global distribution
    systems;
  2. A tropical commodity market (including coffee, cocoa, rubber and vegetable oil); and
  3. A food commodity market destined primarily for local and regional consumption26
Economic & Enterprise Development

Past projects:

Entrepreneurship and Employability Clinics (2016 to 2021) – As part of our efforts to transform public libraries into sustainable information hubs, ARA IN GHANA implemented a series of capacity development training for library users in ACCRA City Library, with funding support from our german volunteers.The sessions focused on imparting youths with business development knowledge, soft skills development and ICT and reached over 600+ youths.

Building a network of entrepreneurs

Focus on areas that offer strong potential for creating work for young people, as well as informal settings to support women’s entrepreneurship. These sectors and settings include agriculture, tourism, and hospitality each underpinned by digital technology. Our aim is to enable opportunities for women and youth farmers in Ghana. Together, we’re fostering gender equality and community development, cultivating a future where they can thrive, break barriers, and lead with resilience.