The Ministry of Finance (MoF), in partnership with the Social Investment Fund (SIF), has launched the Ghana Women and Youth Employment and Social Cohesion Programme (GWYESCO).
This major initiative is aimed at creating more than 30,000 jobs and expanding economic opportunities for women and young people across the country.
Speaking at the launch in Accra on June 10, 2026, Deputy Minister for Finance Thomas Nyarko Ampem said the government’s economic transformation agenda places job creation, skills development and enterprise growth at its core.
He stressed that Ghana’s long-term economic growth depends on the active participation of women and young people in national development, adding that the government is prioritising their inclusion under its Resetting Agenda.
Chief Executive Officer of the Social Investment Fund and Project Coordinator of GWYESCO, Lawyer Abass Adams Nurudeen, said the programme was designed to address persistent barriers facing women and youth in the labour market.
According to him, rising numbers of young people who are not in education, employment or training are largely the result of inadequate market-relevant skills, while many women entrepreneurs continue to face difficulties accessing finance, technology and markets.
“The GWYESCO Programme has been designed to respond directly to these challenges through three key interventions: promoting market-driven training aligned with industry needs and emerging sectors, expanding access to financial and non-financial services for women- and youth-owned micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, and strengthening institutional capacity and accountability systems to ensure sustainable programme delivery,” he said.
The programme will provide training in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), digital technology, technical and vocational skills, agribusiness and the creative industries. It will also support the construction, renovation and equipping of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) centres nationwide.
Women- and youth-owned micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) will benefit from entrepreneurship support, business development services and improved access to financing.
By 2029, GWYESCO targets supporting more than 22,000 women and young people into wage or self-employment, training over 28,000 beneficiaries in STEM, digital and creative industry skills, supporting 10,000 women- and youth-owned MSMEs with business development services, facilitating access to finance for 8,000 businesses, and constructing, renovating and equipping ten TVET centres across the country.
The initiative forms part of broader efforts to strengthen social cohesion while promoting inclusive economic growth through skills development, entrepreneurship and job creation.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
