Young people are the core enablers of global change and innovation. Adequate empowerment of youths transforms them to lead great developments and maintain peace in the society. The lingering gap towards youth empowerment in Ghana poses a societal loop and developmental challenges in the country. Unemployment rate in Ghana is 8.4% (higher than the world’s unemployment rate, 5.6%). The increasing gap of unemployment vulnerabilities among youths can be traced to lack of empowerment skills and poverty.
The definition of empowerment like Cornell Empowerment Group (1989), defined it as: “an intentional ongoing process centred in the local community, involving material respect, critical reflection, caring and group participation, through which people lacking an equal share of valued resources gain greater access to and control over those resources”. The World Bank (WB) empowerment sourcebook points out that: “empowerment is the expansion of assets and capabilities of poor people (Narayan, 2002, p. 5)
In lieu of this, Recycle Up! Ghana has a business model of supporting young persons with innovative business ideas in the circular economy; Renewable Energy, Climate Smart Agriculture Waste Management, and Climate Change Actions.
We are committed to this mission by training young persons in local and urban communities, mentor and support them to write winning business proposals for funds. The Young entrepreneurs that go through our incubation programs are empowered and skillfully trained with business development strategies with related technical skills that are needed to scale their businesses. We are solving the developmental challenges and inequality gaps between the skilled and unskilled young persons.
The world is at a tipping point on sustainability. Leaders are finding means to increase sustainable measures in their strategies. RUG is committed to supporting young entrepreneurs holistically and helping them change the rhetoric in their communities.
As a forward-thinking organization, we are moving swiftly and mapping out sustainable plans to empower young persons in Ghana by eradicating unemployment from the grassroots to the national level.