The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Young Entrepreneurs, Mr. Sheriff Ghali, has made a strong case for the active inclusion of young entrepreneurs in the design and implementation of youth-focused startup policies and programmes. He stressed that meaningful engagement with the private sector is critical to crafting sustainable and impactful support initiatives.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency during a policy dialogue organized by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research – Science and Technology Policy Research Institute (CSIR-STEPRI), Mr. Ghali warned that the lack of private sector involvement has undermined the longevity and effectiveness of many past government-led initiatives.
“Most of the programmes introduced by successive governments have had great potential but failed to achieve long-term results because young entrepreneurs—those who are meant to benefit—are not involved in shaping these policies,” he said.
The dialogue, held as part of CSIR-STEPRI’s project on the Distributional Impact of Innovation and SME Support in Ghana, brought together key stakeholders to assess the success and challenges of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) programmes across the country.
Mr. Ghali pointed specifically to the government’s new “Adwumawura” initiative, urging that it should not repeat the mistakes of the past. He called for young business leaders and private sector actors to be treated not as beneficiaries, but as co-creators of the solutions being developed for them.
“If the government wants programmes like Adwumawura to outlive political transitions and make real impact, then the private sector must have a seat at the table from the start,” he added.
Dr. Justina Onumah, Senior Research Scientist at CSIR-STEPRI, reinforced the importance of evidence-based policy and inclusive frameworks. She noted that many MSME programmes had failed due to insufficient monitoring, evaluation, and customization to meet the needs of diverse entrepreneurs.
“We need to build a reliable MSME profiling system to ensure that support is tailored to specific sectors, regions, and challenges,” Dr. Onumah stated. “Inclusive economic transformation is only possible when policies are designed with those they intend to serve.”
As Ghana places MSMEs at the heart of its development agenda, the dialogue underscored a key message: only when policies are designed with entrepreneurs—not just for them—can they deliver lasting change.
