Ghana’s National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP) has earned international acclaim, with the World Bank spotlighting it as a model initiative in Africa’s drive to transform agriculture into a powerful engine for job creation and economic inclusion. In a strategic policy shift aimed at scaling agribusiness and food systems across the continent, the World Bank Group has committed to doubling its agribusiness investment to $9 billion annually by 2030.
The announcement was made in a joint blog by Ousmane Diagana, World Bank Vice President for Western and Central Africa; Chakib Jenane, Regional Director for Sustainable Development; and Steven Were Omamo, Senior Agricultural Economist
The blog titled, “The Hidden Jobs Engine: Unleashing the Potential of Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa” praised NEIP as a “promising example of good practices” in transforming agriculture through entrepreneurship.
Launched in 2017, the NEIP was created as a flagship initiative by the Government of Ghana to support start-ups and small businesses, with a special focus on job creation. Its mandate includes providing business development services, training, access to funding, and policy support to new and early-stage businesses across all sectors, with agribusiness being a major focus.
Through initiatives like the Presidential Business Support Programme (PBSP) and the Greenhouse Village Project, NEIP supported over 19,000 businesses and trained more than 45,000 young entrepreneurs. The programme has been instrumental in building Ghana’s capacity for agro-processing, climate-smart agriculture, and youth-led innovation in food production and distribution.
One such success story is Francis Kwame Panford, a dedicated pig farmer and a beneficiary of the NEIP Business Support Programme. While he also raises ducks and a few goats, his primary focus is on pig farming. Through hard work and expertise, Mr Panford ensures high-quality livestock production, contributing to the agricultural sector’s growth and sustainability.
Its partnership with private sector actors and financial institutions, as well as the collaboration with development agencies, has further amplified its impact. NEIP’s inclusive approach, emphasizing women and youth participation, aligns closely with the World Bank’s vision of a job-rich and innovation-driven agrifood system.
A Strategic Shift for Africa
In its blog, the World Bank identified five major strategic shifts necessary to unlock the full potential of Africa’s agrifood sector:
From productivity to job-rich value chains: Transitioning from a narrow focus on yields to broader ecosystems that drive employment.
Scaling youth-focused skills programmes: Training youth in digital technologies, climate-smart farming, and mechanization to spark innovation.
Strengthening rural infrastructure: Investments in roads, energy, and storage to reduce costs and improve market access. Reforming land and finance systems: Making credit and land more accessible to women and youth.
Aligning public and donor investments: Prioritizing job intensity and redirecting subsidies to impactful innovation
Nigeria’s Anchor Borrowers Programme was also cited as a notable example, though the World Bank emphasized the importance of consistency in implementation and follow-up.
With some 362 million young Africans expected to enter the workforce over the next decade and only 151 million jobs projected to be available, the mismatch, the Bank maintains “is stark,” noting that agriculture is being reimagined not as a safety net but as a frontier for economic transformation.
The decision of the World Banks to channel $9 billion annually into agribusiness initiatives by 2030 is expected to bolster such efforts, with NEIP potentially playing a central role in regional knowledge sharing and scaling.
“The question is not whether agriculture can create jobs, but whether governments, donors, and investors will support the sector with the urgency and ambition required. Failure to act risks squandering this opportunity and jeopardizing an entire generation,” Mr Diagana and his colleagues jointly stressed.
