The University of Ghana’s Nkabom Collaborative has hosted a dialogue on making compliance processes more supportive of youth-led agrifood enterprises.
The dialogue put together by the Entrepreneurship Pillar of the Initiative held on Friday, August 29, 2025, under the theme “Fostering Sustainable Youth-Led AgriFood Enterprises,” brought together key regulatory bodies, including the GRA, GSA, EPA, SSNIT, among others, key stakeholders.
Lead for the Collaborative’s Education Pillar Dr. Hayford Mensah Ayerakwa outlined the 10-year initiative, which seeks to reduce youth unemployment by creating opportunities in the agrifood sector through three pillars: Education, Access and Success, and Entrepreneurship.
Delivering the keynote address, Lead consultant for regulatory advocacy Prof. Justice Bawole emphasised that the goal is not to weaken standards but to promote constructive engagement with startups.
“We insist that they do their work well. We hope this will strengthen collaboration between entrepreneurs and regulatory agencies so they can comply with regulations without challenges, and this will help drive agrifood entrepreneurship into the ecosystem.”
He further urged regulators and stakeholders to adopt a trust-based approach, treating compliance as the norm and wrongdoing as the exception. Bawole stressed the importance of highlighting positive stories of young enterprises doing the right things.
“Let’s begin to tell the story of the people who are doing the right things. And let’s, at some point, put ourselves in the default position, especially relating to them. Everybody will do the right things. And then we would allow those who do the wrong things to be the exception, rather than the reverse.”
The dialogue is expected to translate discussions into action, equipping startups with clarity and tools to scale sustainably.
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Story by Kwadwo Owusu-Anane|univers.ug.edu.gh
Edited by Michelle Lartey
