Deputy Minister for Finance, Dr. Stephen Amoah, has encouraged youths to pursue careers as entrepreneurs through micro, small, and medium-sized firms.

He said prioritising micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) would be a critical strategy to enhance the economy's growth as they embody over ninety percent of the country's economy.

"Government can't do it alone; the support of the youth in addressing their own needs through coordination, entrepreneurship and networking and support of our international partners will spur the growth of the economy," he noted.

Dr Amoah noted that these SMEs and micro enterprises must have unfettered access to government funding to build a strong eco-system that will be the foundation for other SMEs to thrive.

He asserted that his outfit recently launched the SME Growth and Opportunity (GO) Programme, which offers targeted financial and technical support to high-growth potential SMEs to accelerate their growth.

"SMEs revived economies in Asia during the 1990s when they were in the doldrums, promoted inter-regional trade and instigated a regional demand in Asia," he stated

Dr. Stephen Amoah made his remarks in a keynote address at the Ohene-Konadu Auditorium of the University for Professional Studies Accra (UPSA) during the Annual Regional Network Conference for Enterprise Development and Employment Promotion 2024.

The two-day event held under the theme: sustainable solutions for enterprise development and employment promotion, the role of the union of stakeholders, brought together students from second cycle institutions, entrepreneurs, the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) and the European Union (EU).

The European Union (EU) Ambassador to Ghana, Irchad Ramiandrasoa Razaaly, addressing the audience, revealed that over 400,000 youth enter the labour market each year as Ghana stands to thrive in terms of entrepreneurship.

He added that eight countries in the world have been designated to have thriving economies in the near future, and five of those countries have been identified as being on the continent.

"Ghana can be one of those five countries with the right finance to create new jobs in the green and digital sectors of the economy; this also suggests Africa will be the power of growth in the coming years," he stated.

He entreated the youth to network to identify their weaknesses and gaps and create a synergy that will help with their future entrepreneurial aspirations.

Mr Razaaly affirmed the EU's commitment to Ghana in the fields of education, skills development and employment, lauding the event as an opportunity to bring new projects, ideas and programmes into the country.

"It is important we have a network like this one, which brings all stakeholders to bring deliberately coordinated solutions to ensure sustainable solutions," he stated.

Mr Fredrick Sogbe, an entrepreneur at Zayn Organic Cosmetics Industry Limited, told the audience how his outfit utilises unused tomatoes after post-harvest to produce tomato soap.

He noted that after his national service in the hinterlands, he saw firsthand how tomatoes were left to rot due to no storage facilities and over-harvesting during the post-harvest season.

"Among the line of products that Zayn has developed includes an array of organic tomato soaps which can be used for beauty soaps and skin treatment purposes," he stated.