As youth unemployment and entrepreneurship to create jobs continue to dominate discussions on Africa’s economic future, the Managing Director of Jobberman Ghana, Hilda Nimo-Tieku, has identified three critical qualities that increasingly determine success in both the job market and business.
These critical skills, currently cherished by employers and also required in the field of entrepreneurship, she says, are passion, resilience, and financial discipline.
Speaking during a panel discussion at the AFW Youth Forum 2026 organised by the World Bank, Hilda Nimo-Tieku challenged the common belief that technical expertise alone is enough to secure employment, attract funding, or build a successful business.
The MD of the firm that connects talents to employers reveals that employees and investors are now looking beyond certificates and technical competencies to assess whether young people possess the mindset required to thrive in an increasingly competitive environment.
“We did a bit of a survey, finding out what employers are looking out for to get young people. And interestingly, it wasn’t the technical skills that came up? What came up was passion. And I was pleasantly intrigued,” he remarked.
Passion: The Fuel Behind Success
Although technical skills remain important, Hilda Nimo-Tieku explained that passion has become a distinguishing factor for employers because it reflects commitment, dedication, and a willingness to persevere through challenges.
Employers in today’s world of work, she says, want individuals who genuinely care about what they do and are prepared to go the extra mile to achieve results.
She went further to add that for entrepreneurs, passion is even more critical. Starting and growing a business often involves setbacks, uncertainty, and periods of limited resources. Investors and financiers, she explained, want to see entrepreneurs who are deeply committed to their ventures and unlikely to abandon them when difficulties arise.
“To be able to get access to funding, they want to see that you have passion where you don’t give up at any point in time and say, ‘ This is not going to work,” she indicated.
Resilience: The Ability to Keep Going
Closely linked to passion is resilience, which Ms. Nimo-Tieku described as an essential quality in both employment and entrepreneurship. Economic challenges, business disruptions, changing market conditions, and workplace pressures often test individuals’ ability to adapt and recover from setbacks.
According to her, resilience is what separates those who succeed from those who quit too early. Whether it is a young professional facing workplace challenges or an entrepreneur struggling to secure customers, resilience enables individuals to remain focused on their goals and continue improving despite obstacles.
In a rapidly changing labour market, she said, employers increasingly value workers who can remain productive, adaptable, and solution-oriented under pressure.
“You need to have that resilience and passion,” she emphasized.
Financial Discipline: The Foundation of Sustainable Growth
Aside from the passion and resilience, the MD of Jobberman also identified financial discipline as one of the most important qualities for entrepreneurs seeking investment and business growth.
She cautioned that access to funding alone does not guarantee success. Rather, what matters is how effectively entrepreneurs manage the resources entrusted to them.
“You might have access to the finance. How are you managing that finance to make sure that that money is not a business, it doesn’t fund your lifestyle and is going into the business that you are running?,” she emphasized.
According to her, investors want confidence that entrepreneurs will use funds responsibly and generate meaningful returns rather than diverting business capital for personal consumption.
The ability to separate personal expenses from business finances, maintain proper records, and make strategic investment decisions, she said, often determines whether a business survives and grows.
Why Corporate Experience Still Matters
While encouraging entrepreneurship, Hilda Nimo-Tieku also urged young people to consider gaining corporate experience before launching their own businesses.
She argued that the workplace provides valuable lessons that cannot easily be learned elsewhere, including punctuality, accountability, teamwork, customer service, and self-discipline.
“Doing things without somebody watching you, showing up on time, and taking responsibility are habits that become extremely valuable when you eventually run your own business,” she explained.
Drawing from her experience, she recounted how a national service personnel with an agricultural background initially resisted being assigned to customer service. However, she explained that understanding customers and markets is just as important as producing a product.
“How do you sell what you produce if you don’t understand your customers?” she noted.
The Bottomline: Beyond Technical Skills
Hilda Nimo-Tieku’s remarks underscore a growing shift in the labour market where employers are placing greater emphasis on character, attitude, and behavioural competencies alongside technical qualifications.
As she indicates, while innovation, technical expertise, and academic credentials remain important, she believes the future belongs to individuals who combine knowledge with passion, resilience, and financial discipline.
For young people aspiring to secure jobs, build businesses, or attract investors, these qualities may increasingly prove to be the difference between opportunity and missed potential.
