USAID Hosts Entrepreneurship Summit For African Innovators And Investors

Accra, GHANA – On May 19, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) hosted a networking event for African entrepreneurs, innovators, and investors. The workshop gave forward-thinking Ghanaians an opportunity to network one-on-one and collaborate with investors, government officials, business representatives, and educators to fuel entrepreneurship for the benefit of Ghana. USAID Assistant Administrator for Africa Linda Etim opened the conference and U.S. Ambassador to Ghana Robert P. Jackson delivered closing remarks.

“Nurturing a supportive entrepreneurship ecosystem is critical for innovation, creativity, and imagination to thrive and persist. Therefore, it is important that we fully grasp what hinders and what enhances entrepreneurship in various environments and contexts,” remarked Ambassador Jackson. “This will help accelerate change and create the much-needed jobs that—among other benefits—will address youth unemployment.”

The event is modelled after President Barack Obama’s annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES). President Obama will host the seventh GES at Stanford University, in California’s Silicon Valley, June 22-24. The 2016 GES will bring together approximately 1,000 people who represent the full measure of entrepreneurial talent in the United States and internationally. The GES reflects the U.S. government’s commitment to use entrepreneurship as a tool to build communities around the world to become more economically prosperous, secure and globally connected.

About USAID
USAID is the lead U.S. government agency that works to end extreme global poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their potential. For more than 50 years, USAID has supported Ghana in increasing food security, improving basic health care, enhancing access to quality basic education, and strengthening local governance to benefit all Ghanaian people.