Private Sector to benefit from YEA’s Business and Employment Assistance Programme – Bawumia

Ten thousand (10,000) businesses and organizations as well as Twenty thousand (20,000) youth, would benefit from the government’s Business and Employment Assistance Programme, that was launched last year December, 2023 by Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia in Sunyani.
The BEAP Programme, is one of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), government’s interventions to support young Ghanaian entrepreneurs and also provide more job opportunities for the youth.
The Business and Employment Assistance Programme will help MSMEs grow, by supporting skilled workers financially, and employ more youth to sustain and expand small and medium scale businesses by paying salaries of those who will be employed by successful business applicants.
Speaking at Wa , during a media engagement sentization forum of the programme in upper west region on Wednesday, January 10, 2024, the National Public Relations Officer Mr. Awal Mohammed who spoke on behalf of the Chief Executive officer (CEO) Mr.Kofi Baah Agyepong and Deputy Alhaj Ibrahim Bashiru, reiterated the commitment of Government to providing more job opportunities for the youth, and boosting those already in business.

According to the statement, Mr. Awal indicated that the main purpose of the forum was to collaborate with the media fraternity to support in propagating and sensitizing the general public through the airwaves for business owners and youth in the region to be cleared and understand the program very well.
He said the portal is opened from the January, 2024 to the end of the month and interested and qualified business owners and organizations as well as the youth should apply for selection and be part of the program for their livelihood.

Adding that, genuine and registered business owners, and youth aging between 18-35 would be allowed to qualify for the program.
The Business and Employment Assistance Programme (BEAP) is the latest of many job creation and business support interventions the government has implemented through the YEA, to support the youth.
According to the PRO, several youth interventions by the government including the YouStart programme, which he said, has been successfully piloted with GHS100m distributed this year.
Under other interventions targeted at the youth, 21,000 youth have been engaged under the YEA’s Community Police Assistants and Community Health Workers module, while 2,000 youth have been engaged under the Youth in ICT module in collaboration with the Ghana Digital Centre- he mentioned.
And also through YEA’s partnership with the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme, 15,000 Ghanaian youth have been trained in business skills, corporate compliances, and financial sustainability practices, while the Ministry of Food and Agriculture is also poised to engage 20,000 youth under Phase 2 of the Planting for Food and Jobs programme.

Additionally, the YEA, in collaboration with the Ghana TVET Service and the Ghana Energy Commission, will train 20,000 artisans such as plumbers, tilers, masons, beauticians, fabricators, carpenters, and electricians. The beneficiaries under this module will be duly certified after training and provided with the requisite tools and equipment to set up enterprises of their own.

However, the Chief Executive Officer of the YEA, Kofi Agyapong, assured that, the YEA will continue to strengthen existing modules and do more in the agency’s quest to create more jobs for the youth.