Ye! Ghana Chapter organizes a Workshop on the African Continental Free Trade Area and opportunities for youth

23 June 2022 Accra, Ghana - The Ye! Ghana Chapter hosted the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) Workshop for Youth on the 23rd June, 2022 at the Africa Trade House in Accra, Ghana. The workshop themed, Opening Market Opportunities for Youth, sought to impart greater knowledge and awareness about what the AfCFTA is, how it will impact business and trade in Africa, and the opportunities under the new agreement for youth. The workshop was co-organized with the Youth Alliance for Leadership and Development in Africa (YALDA) through its local Chapter in Ghana, alongside other partner networks.

In the welcoming remarks, Mr. Alexander Anim Adjorvor, Programme Lead for Kumasi Hive, the local Anchor for the Ye! Ghana Chapter stated that, “This workshop will enlighten youth on how they can benefit from the  AfCFTA, share the experiences of mature SMEs to create better knowledge exchange amongst business owners, and bring the community of youth entrepreneurs together to enhance networks and spur discussion.”

The event brought together more than 100 youth participants from across the Ye! Ghana Community, YALDA, and Kumasi Hive networks spanning Accra, Kumasi, Bolgatanga, and beyond. 30% of the participants were young women, leaving room for the Ye! Community in Ghana to expand its reach with women to ensure they have equal access to similar workshops.

The keynote speech was offered by Louis Yaw Afful, Executive Director of AfCFTA Policy Network and APN Group. He highlighted that “youth form about 50 percent of the population in Africa and contribute approximately 50 percent to GDP. In that regard, the AfCFTA will improve the growth of micro-businesses specifically those run by youth and women. The agreement has in place protocols focused on supporting the youth and women to trade and aims to help them identify products and markets to target.”

Jacob Ocran Annan, a youth attendee shared that, “The program was engaging and very insightful. Previously many of us did not know what the AfCFTA is, but the program took participants through the various stages of the AfCFTA and the legal framework. The workshop also highlighted how youth can take advantage of the AfCFTA. Leaving this workshop I feel more empowered to take advantage of the AfCFTA, share what I know with my fellow youth, and support my business goals.”

During the workshop, youth participants had the opportunity to dialogue with the various speakers, participate in a case study analysis and presentation, and actively network with other youth throughout the day. The event sought to mobilize youth to enhance their understanding of the AfCFTA so they can more actively benefit from it. This event sets the stage for future Ye! Ghana Chapter activities to delve more deeply into the topic and train youth on the specifics of the AfCFTA.

Through the International Trade Centre’s Ye! Community, and alongside local partners, a youth entrepreneurship summit will be held later this year that will continue to build on the learnings of the workshop and celebrate youth entrepreneurship and Ghana, and further highlight opportunities under the AfCFTA.

Stay tuned for more updates from Ye! Ghana coming soon. And be sure to join www.yecommunity.com to take advantage of all the community has to offer. If you are based in Ghana, join our whatsapp community here.

About the Organizers

About ITC and the Ye! Community

The International Trade Centre (ITC) is the joint agency of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization with a mandate to support small businesses to be more competitive to engage in trade. The ITC also works with a variety of different actors including ministries of trade, trade promotion agencies, incubators and accelerators, to build a more conducive business ecosystem and ensure that small businesses have the support they need to thrive.
The ITC also works directly to support youth through the youth and trade programme. The youth and trade programme works at the nexus of SDGs 4 and 8 to enhance youth entrepreneurship and youth employability. Through the youth programme, ITC manages the Ye! Global community. Ye! is a global platform supporting youth entrepreneurship. To date, this global community has more than 30,000 members across 170 countries and this includes entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs, mentors, and other ecosystem actors.

Through Ye! ITC establishes local, offline networks called Ye! Chapters, which aim to provide tailored support to youth entrepreneurs and access to experts, training, and networks. Ye! Chapters are hosted by an institution supporting youth entrepreneurship and driven by young entrepreneurs. The Ye! Community hosts 19 Chapters worldwide and continues to expand to enhance support for youth entrepreneurship. The Ye! Ghana Chapter is managed by Kumasi Hive.

About Kumasi Hive

Kumasi Hive is a non-profit organization that exists to support entrepreneurs and innovators of all types, particularly to encourage social impact businesses to develop innovative physical products and processing methods.

Kumasi Hive provides access to the local entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem including access to government, relevant industry players, start-ups/businesses, CSOs, and other stakeholders.

The Hive focuses on bridging the existing Digital and tech skills gap in the African digital entrepreneurship ecosystem and seeks to address it through integrated innovation. As the world enters into the 4th Industry age, there is a shift from traditional jobs to digital and tech skills-based jobs, Kumasi Hive is therefore committed to helping build the future work with skills in emerging technologies and create jobs and solutions through accelerated adoption of these emerging technologies

Through its Hardware and Business incubator, Kumasi Hive provides promising startups the support required to help them move from the idea stage through prototyping to the product-for-market stage.

About the Youth Alliance for Leadership and Development in Africa (YALDA)

YALDA is a non-profit international organization that was established in order to create a resourceful networking database for those with a strong interest in Africa. The network is centered on YALDA branches, primarily at African universities, and serves to increase the capacity of youth in Africa for developing positive leadership skills and espousing an honest work ethic.

YALDA directs youth to information and resources provided by individuals and other organizations to help them develop in their careers and also assist them in developing projects and/ or organizations aimed at making a significant and positive social impact across the continent.

YALDA's mission is anchored in the strong desire to achieve development on the African continent through cordial collaboration between youth and professionals.  We believe that through the extensive networking and establishment of partnerships between youth and professionals, leaders of today and most importantly of the future will be well-groomed for leading development in Africa.