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The Minister for Trade and Industry, Ekow Spio-Garbrah has stated that the educational sector of the country has no relationship with the industrial world.

The Minister made this known at the social enterprises dialogue organized by the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) and the British Council.

According to the Trade Minister, the country’s high unemployment rate among the youth is partly due to the curriculum of the secondary schools and tertiary institutions but however believed the introduction and development of social enterprises would help reduce if not curb the menace.

Mr. Spio Garbrah added that his ministry was committed to helping reduce the high unemployment rate thereby doing away with the Unemployed Graduates Association which seems to have come to stay.

“It is due to the Trade Ministry’s commitment to help in doing away with the Unemployed Graduates Association that social enterprise programmes like the Rural Entrepreneurship programme has been put together with the help of the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) and the International Fund for Business Development”, he stated.

Director General of NDPC, Dr. Nii Moi Thompson also stated that with Ghana’s vulnerable employment rate currently around 70%-75%, it was necessary to create an enabling environment for social enterprises therefore his outfit, taking into consideration the AU’s Agenda 2063 has put together a long term national development plan which has some social economic policies providing a framework for creating jobs.

The occasion was also used to launch a research report on the social enterprise landscape in Ghana which according to the researcher, Emily Darko indicates that there are four main challenges the enterprises face.

The challenges which include inadequate access to appropriate finance, poor understanding of social enterprises and raising business skill level and social entrepreneurs, easier regulatory processes and access to work with and for government and also the inadequate access to communities and markets to engage empower and distribute goods and services according to Emily Darko do not create the enabling environment for social enterprises to survive.

She however added that without contradiction the report gives hope the “political stability in Ghana makes the country an attractive destination for investors, start-ups, ‘returnees’ and support organizations”.

Social Enterprises are businesses that pursue to varying degrees social impact and profit.