Jobs for Youth — Enterprise Programme (British Council, Ghana)

GIZ-funded enterprise and migration programme that supported young through a coordinated pathway that moved them from basic skills to real enterprise growth—linking training, finance, markets, and ecosystem credibility.

As Programme Lead, I directed the end-to-end enterprise model—partner orchestration, delivery governance, MEL, and inclusion—ensuring youth-responsive design and consistent execution across all workstreams.

• Capability → growth: Integrated employability and entrepreneurship curricula with hands-on enterprise support so youth could convert skills into viable business operations.
• Incubation/acceleration architecture: Standardised venture support journeys (diagnostics, coaching, growth planning, investor readiness) and aligned them to MEL for real-world performance signals.
• Ecosystem activation: Convened trade shows/market platforms, brokered buyer and international market pathways, and aligned with SME support actors to reduce fragmentation.
• Smart financing: Embedded grant mechanisms and post-grant performance follow-up to drive reinvestment discipline and job growth rather than one-off disbursement.
• Inclusion by design: Built gender checkpoints into partner delivery, outreach, and selection, improving access and retention for young founders (including women and underserved groups).

Young enterprises moved from “trained” to trading and hiring; acceleration cohorts demonstrated repeatable growth behaviours (planning, reinvestment, team expansion); ecosystem partners adopted elements of the model (selection, coaching, performance tracking); and the programme strengthened the credibility of youth enterprises with financiers and buyers—creating a pipeline that lives beyond the grant cycle.