The Youth Innovation Circles (YIC) is an ambitious and inclusive programme under the Young Africa Innovates initiative, championed by HapaSpace in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and UNDP. Designed for the untapped talent across Ghana’s rural and peri-urban communities, YIC empowers young innovators, particularly women and persons with disabilities, to turn bold ideas into transformative solutions. Through technical training, hands-on mentorship, and access to cutting-edge maker spaces, these youth are building businesses and creating jobs where they are needed most.
Innovation knows no boundaries, but opportunity often does. YIC was born to close the innovation gap for underserved youth across Ghana. With a sharp focus on equity, we are working to engage over 1,000 young changemakers aged 18–35, 70% of whom are women, and 15–20% persons with disabilities. We’re not just training youth; we’re catalysing movements, supporting innovators with mentorship, prototyping resources, and the tools to build sustainable, youth-led enterprises that solve real community problems.
Launched in August 2024 and running through to August 2025, YIC is already making waves. Our roadmap includes high-energy Pitch and Demo Days in Kumasi and Takoradi, where young innovators will showcase prototypes, pitch for support, and forge connections with investors and mentors.
YIC is powered by strong collaboration. Funded by the Mastercard Foundation and implemented by UNDP, the programme is anchored by HapaSpace as the lead hub, working alongside Kumasi City Incubator Hub, Duapa Werkspace, Agrico Hub, Wan-Hive, PHG, and Innovators Up. These hubs bring local expertise, trusted community networks, and a deep commitment to inclusive innovation.
Our work spans five vibrant regions, Ashanti, Bono, Bono East, Ahafo, and Western, reaching into communities often overlooked by mainstream innovation programmes. These regions are alive with potential, and YIC is creating the conditions for that potential to flourish.
In just a few months, YIC has engaged over 2,500 youth innovators. More than 1,500 have participated in peer learning sessions, nearly 300 in technical workshops, and 263 have received one-on-one mentorship. We’ve seen 197 jobs created, with 104 validated for youth aged 18–35, and supported 89 innovators to pitch their ideas publicly. Among the standout innovations: AI-powered waste recycling, organic fertiliser from cassava husk, and small-scale cashew oil production. Women make up over 66% of participants, and persons with disabilities are not only included but intentionally supported.
Despite challenges such as limited digital access, infrastructure gaps, and underrepresentation of PWDs, YIC has adapted. Decentralised sessions, low-cost digital tools, and targeted outreach have helped us reach deeper into communities. We’re not waiting for innovation to come to the cities, we’re taking it to the people.
The journey is just beginning. The next phase of YIC will deepen mentorship, roll out regional pitch events, and validate every job created to ensure our impact is real and lasting. We’re building more than skills, we’re building an ecosystem where grassroots innovation thrives.
At HapaSpace, we believe that the next generation of solutions to Ghana’s toughest challenges will come from unexpected places, rural villages, small towns, and youth whose creativity has been overlooked for too long. YIC is proof that when we invest in the margins, we create impact at the centre.
