Hive Empowers: Fueling Business Startups Among Ghana's Youth

Unemployment remains a significant challenge for countries worldwide, and it particularly poses a major problem in Africa where the youth population is the largest. Ghana, in particular, has a considerable number of talented and energetic young individuals who are struggling to find employment opportunities. Despite the consistent efforts made by successive governments to generate jobs and implement various youth empowerment initiatives, the issue of unemployment has not been adequately addressed.

The most viable solution to address the growing youth population lacking employment opportunities lies in prioritizing entrepreneurship. Instead of solely relying on the limited government jobs, the youth should be encouraged to learn the art of venturing into business startups. To achieve this, schools must place a high priority on entrepreneurship and integrate it as a core component throughout the educational curriculum at every level.

By nurturing students with entrepreneurial skills and providing them with essential knowledge about business, they will be better prepared to embark on their own business ventures after completing their education. This shift in focus towards entrepreneurship would empower the youth to create their opportunities and potentially contribute to solving the issue of unemployment faced by the country.

This is precisely why we emphasized entrepreneurship as one of the key focus areas during the recent Hive seminar at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana. Dr. Spencer Koranteng Tweneboah, a renowned entrepreneur, delivered a compelling presentation on entrepreneurship during the event.

During the seminar, Dr. Tweneboah revealed a staggering statistic: last year, approximately 600,000 students graduated from various universities across Ghana. Out of this significant number, only 10 percent managed to secure jobs, leaving a staggering 90 percent struggling to find employment.
Dr. Tweneboah attributed this high unemployment rate among graduates to the lack of emphasis on entrepreneurship education in tertiary institutions.

He presented several compelling facts regarding Africa's lagging progress and challenged the students to consider launching their startups. He encouraged them to focus on developing innovative ideas that address significant problems, while also stressing the importance of not being overly concerned about initial capital.

The presentation served as a transformative experience for computer science students, providing them with essential technological skills and enlightening them about the vast opportunities available in the field of technology. Witnessing the impact we achieved through the Hive seminar was exhilarating, as it allowed the 600 attending students to understand how they can improve both their own lives and the lives of others. Moving ahead, we aspire to organize more seminars like this, with the aim of empowering young individuals and creating substantial positive changes through Hive.