Graduate entrepreneurs who wish to do their national service through their own projects can now do so after a successful pilot last year which saw 20 of such graduates complete their national service programmes working on their own projects.
The National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP) last year arranged for some graduates to continue operating their businesses as part of the National Service scheme while they received their monthly allowance from the National Service Secretariat.
After successful completion of the pilot, the NEIP has told Citi Business News that it has completed discussions with the National Service Secretariat to enable more graduates who own their business do their national service without searching for placements with other entities.
Speaking to Citi Business News at a breakfast meeting on youth unemployment organized by the Center for Democratic Development and IREX, Chief Executive of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme, John Kumah, explained that the new policy is to encourage entrepreneurship among graduates.
“Government wants to change the paradigm of job creation in the status quo which is that when you finish school somebody has to employ you. We know there are limited spaces for employment and one of the key avenues to employ people is to help them be the solution to the problem,” he stated.
He said the move is to allow graduate entrepreneurs nurture their passion and continue to be more productive even after school.