By Bright Ntramah
Government agenda to provide the youth with entrepreneurial skills has been given a major boost with the United Bank of Africa (UBA), Ghana, pledging to provide resources towards the newly introduced youth development programme, the “YouthStart” which is expected to commence this year.
Its Managing Director, Chris Ofikulu, indicated UBA’s decision to become a major anchor for the YouthStart, by providing continuous resources for the successful implementation of the programme.
Mr. Ofikulu made the pledge when he paid a courtesy call on President Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House.
Government in the 2022 Budget announced a one billion Ghana cedi support for young entrepreneurs to enable them to create new businesses as well as expand existing ones.
Under the ‘YouthStart’ programme, the government is expected to provide financial and technical support to young entrepreneurs to develop commercially viable businesses and create jobs for the youth.
The CEO of UBAChris Ofikulu, who took office in February this year, said the bank which currently employs about 768 people, mostly Ghanaians, has supported Government and businesses in the country since its establishment in 2004.
President Akufo-Addo commended UBA’s decision to support the implementation of the YouthStart, and urged other private enterprises to partner the government towards equipping the youth with entrepreneurship skills to create globally competitive businesses. He said his administration will continue to develop the private sector in Ghana as the surest way of creating sustainable jobs for the people.
The United Bank of Africa currently supports three best students in the annual essay competition with an amount of $10,000 towards their tertiary education.
