The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), Eric Adjei, has announced that the government is transitioning the agency into the Ghana Start-up Agency as part of efforts to build a globally competitive startup and innovation ecosystem.
According to Mr Adjei, the transition will move NEIP from its current role as a government special purpose vehicle implementing entrepreneurship programmes into an institution with dedicated funding and legislative backing.
He made the announcement on Thursday, October 1, 2026, when he addressed the International Conference on Business Innovation and Incubation hosted by Walter Sisulu University in South Africa.
Mr Adjei said the proposed Ghana Start-up Agency would be tasked with designing and implementing targeted interventions to promote entrepreneurship and innovation.
He explained that the initiative was intended to improve coordination among ecosystem actors, strengthen Ghana’s start-up pipeline and investment readiness, enhance the commercialisation of research, and deepen links between start-ups, venture capital and private investors.
“This transition is not a mere change in the name of an institution but a bold commitment to redefining Ghana’s entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem,” he said.
Mr Adjei said NEIP’s approach was shifting from simply providing funding to young people towards building an integrated support system covering entrepreneurship training, incubation, mentorship, technology, financing, market access and partnerships.
“An entrepreneur does not need money alone; an entrepreneur needs a robust, coordinated, and integrated ecosystem to build a sustainable business,” he said.
He cited the Adwumawura Programme as one of the government’s flagship interventions, designed to support at least 10,000 young entrepreneurs annually through business development and entrepreneurship training, mentorship, technical assistance, funding, market access and business advisory services.
According to him, the first cohort has already supported 10,887 young entrepreneurs through capacity building, business advisory services and mentorship.
Of that number, 3,625 beneficiaries received grants through what Mr Adjei described as a transparent and competitive process overseen by an independent Grant Management Committee.
The committee includes academics, experienced entrepreneurs, financial institutions, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment and other government agencies.
The NEIP CEO also disclosed that the programme, in partnership with the Venture Capital Trust Fund (VCTF), had established a fund to provide debt and equity financing to businesses considered to have significant growth and impact potential.
He said the financing would provide businesses with patient capital to expand operations, create jobs and scale their impact.
Mr Adjei also highlighted the Students Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development Programme (SEED), which is being implemented in partnership with the National Union of Ghana Students, university innovation hubs under the THINK Network and the National Service Authority.
Under the programme, NEIP plans to train 5,000 students annually, beginning with a pilot involving 36 tertiary institutions.
He said the initiative seeks to strengthen the link between entrepreneurship education, innovation support and the university ecosystem.
The objective, he explained, is to transform universities from institutions focused primarily on academic qualifications into environments where students can develop businesses, test ideas, build prototypes and identify customers.
Mr Adjei further highlighted the Young Africa Innovates (YAI) Programme, implemented by NEIP in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with funding from the Mastercard Foundation.
He said approximately 1,500 innovators had been trained under the programme, contributing to the creation of about 4,823 jobs.
He said the figures demonstrated the potential of inclusive innovation programmes to convert entrepreneurial skills into economic opportunities and livelihoods.
Mr Adjei stressed that innovation programmes must deliberately reach talented young people outside major cities, prestigious universities and established networks.
He also cited the Ghana Women and Youth Employment and Social Cohesion Programme (GWYESCO), implemented by NEIP with other government agencies, including the Social Investment Fund, with funding from the African Development Bank.
According to him, the programme focuses on market-driven skills, entrepreneurship, access to finance, business development and market linkages, particularly for women and young people.
He said the initiative reflected the need to link youth employment, skills development, entrepreneurship, financing and social cohesion.
Mr Adjei used the conference to call for greater collaboration among African countries to develop integrated systems that can transform ideas into viable businesses.
He cited initiatives in Kenya and Nigeria as examples of efforts to strengthen national innovation ecosystems.
According to him, Kenya’s Presidential Innovation Challenge and Award seeks to identify, recognise and commercialise promising innovations, while Nigeria’s Start-up Act provides institutional structures for startup development, including start-up labelling and a Start-up Investment Seed Fund framework.
He said the common objective across African countries should be to identify talent, build capacity, provide financing, connect innovators to markets and create conditions for businesses to scale.
“Africa must stop seeing its young population only as a demographic challenge. Our young people are one of the greatest productive assets of this continent,” Mr Adjei said.
He also called for stronger links between African universities, industry, investors and innovation hubs to facilitate the commercialisation of research and expand opportunities for startups.
Mr Adjei said African countries should work towards an integrated continental ecosystem where research and innovations developed in one country can find markets and opportunities across the continent.
“We cannot build the African innovation economy institution by institution. We must build it ecosystem by ecosystem. And we cannot build it country by country alone. We must increasingly build it as an African ecosystem,” he said.
He said the ultimate goal should be to equip young African entrepreneurs to become producers, employers, innovators and investors capable of contributing to the continent’s economic transformation.
