The University of Ghana is stepping up its drive to equip students with entrepreneurial and innovation skills as part of a broader strategy to tackle the country’s growing youth unemployment challenge.
With student enrolment having risen from just 5,000 a few decades ago to over 72,000 today, the traditional path of education leading directly to government or white-collar jobs has become unsustainable.
This reality, according to university leadership, requires a bold shift towards innovation-driven opportunities.
“Every graduate cannot find him or herself in a government job,” said Professor Felix Ankomah Asante, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation, and Development at the University of Ghana. “We need to innovate, and innovation comes with entrepreneurship the ability of students to create livelihoods from their own ideas and skills.”
The university is investing in pitching competitions and start-up incubation programmes to identify and nurture promising ideas from students. These platforms, Prof. Asante explained, are designed to encourage students to develop businesses that can, in turn, create jobs for others.
He drew inspiration from global institutions such as Imperial College London and Harvard University, where strong start-up ecosystems allow even PhD candidates to spin companies out of their research. “Just imagine the impact of a PhD who develops a startup from his or her thesis,” he said.
Innovation Driving Agricultural Transformation
Prof. Asante noted that many of the ideas emerging from students focus on solving agriculture and food security challenges. These include solutions for reducing post-harvest losses, tackling food waste, and developing climate-smart practices.
“Most of the startups are in agri-tech. They are looking at adding value to agricultural products, addressing post-harvest issues, and even health-related matters such as nutrition and obesity,” he observed.
On climate change, he highlighted how erratic rainfall and rising temperatures are already threatening food security. Student innovators, he said, are designing low-cost storage and processing systems that extend shelf life without reliance on cold storage. “Most of the innovations can keep food fresh for 24 to 48 hours before sale,” he explained.
Prof. Asante urged the government to show greater commitment to supporting agricultural innovation and youth entrepreneurship, the same way it has invested heavily in health infrastructure.
He emphasised that entrepreneurship and innovation are not just tools for job creation but also critical pathways for solving pressing societal problems such as food insecurity, unemployment, and climate change impacts.
“Ghana needs bold national decisions to prioritise youth-led innovation and enterprise,” he said. “If we do this, we will not only create jobs but also drive inclusive growth and long-term sustainability.”
