President John Mahama is set to officially launch the government’s flagship initiative, the Adwumawura Programme, today, April 28, at the Prempeh Assembly Hall in Kumasi. The programme aims to tackle youth unemployment by empowering young entrepreneurs across Ghana.
The Adwumawura Programme is a bold business start-up initiative designed to create, track, and mentor at least 10,000 businesses every year, focusing on young Ghanaians aged 18 to 35. It will be spearheaded by the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment through the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP).
Adwumawura: A Pillar of NDC’s Youth Employment Agenda
Forming a central pillar of the NDC’s 2024 manifesto, Adwumawura underlines the party’s commitment to create 250,000 jobs annually. It complements other initiatives like the “Edwuma Pa” programme, with a strong focus on entrepreneurship, skills development, and digital innovation.
To support this vision, the 2025 Budget Statement allocated GH₵100 million for Adwumawura’s rollout, providing young entrepreneurs with skills training, mentorship, access to start-up capital, and essential equipment — a full-package support system to ensure sustainable business growth.
Two-Pronged Approach to Fighting Youth Unemployment
Adwumawura will work in tandem with the Government’s National Apprenticeship Programme, offering free technical and vocational training, certification, and post-training support. Start-ups under Adwumawura will also benefit from a two-year exemption from corporate and personal income taxes — a move designed to ease financial burdens for new businesses.
Minister of Youth Development and Empowerment, George Opare Addo, reaffirmed the Government’s commitment in a video statement shared on Sunday:
“In the run-up to the 2024 election, we promised to create decent and sustainable jobs for young people. Today, we are honouring that promise with action.”