ABSTRACT

This chapter presents the overall socioeconomic environment within which youth entrepreneurship in Ghana is embedded, examines the levels and characteristics of youth entrepreneurship across the country, and provides an overview of key policies and interventions promoting youth employment and entrepreneurship. To overcome the challenges of the paucity of data on youth entrepreneurship in Ghana, and draw heavily on the 2012 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) survey conducted across all regions of Ghana by the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) at the University of Ghana. Of particular interest is the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA), formerly the National Youth Employment Programme one of the biggest interventions by the state to deal with youth unemployment and promote youth entrepreneurship. Economic and political reforms in Ghana over the last three decades have resulted in a stable socioeconomic environment and generated significant economic growth rates with a strong focus on private sector development.