The 2017 edition of the Young Entrepreneurs Award has been launched with a call on the government to provide conducive environment for Ghanaian business to thrive.

At a ceremony held at the Erata Hotel in Accra, the President of the Youth Business Network, Solomon Adjei debunked a long-held assertion that Ghanaian youth is lazy.

According to him, the Ghanaian youth is always on the lookout for an opportunity to work or start their own businesses but often frustrated by the bottlenecks that one has to face in setting up a business entity in the country.

Highlighting some of the challenges faced by young entrepreneurs, Solomon Adjei expressed worry over the many hardships that one has to go through in setting up a business and called on government to put in place measures that will eradicate all the bottlenecks and make it possible for start-up companies to succeed.

“People say that Ghanaian youth are lazy but that is not true. The Ghanaian youth is not lazy. But the question is, how favorable is the environment for the youth to do business? Even when you set up a business, getting it registered is a whole problem on its own".

"Getting funds and offices for our businesses are huge challenges confronting us and government must act in that regard. What about giving Ghanaian start-up firms tax exemptions of two years or so? These are things making it difficult for Ghanaian businesses to thrive”, he worryingly said.

The Deputy Minister of Labour Relations, Bright Wereko Brobbey assured them of his outfit’s support and commended them for the initiative. He asserted that unemployment is a threat to national security and government is ever-ready to support anyone who is willing to create employment opportunities.

The Young Entrepreneurs Awards will see young entrepreneurs in the country receive various awards for defying the odds to set up business entities.