Absa Bank Ghana, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, has reaffirmed its commitment to building a stronger, more coordinated pathway for young entrepreneurs.
This came to light during the 2025 Youth Entrepreneurship Dialogue, held at the University of Professional Studies, Accra, under the theme Dream, Build, Thrive: The Future is Young”. The event brought together young entrepreneurs, policymakers, financial sector actors, ecosystem leaders and development partners for conversations on access to finance, market readiness, capability development and coordinated support for youth-led enterprises.
Delivering remarks on behalf of the Managing Director of Absa Bank Ghana, Dr Edward Nartey Botchway, the Director of Marketing and Corporate Affairs, Nana Essilfuah Tamakloe, emphasised the need for structured and credible support systems that help young people move from ideas to scale.
“Young people in Ghana are not short of ambition or ideas. Many are already shaping our economy. What they need is structured support that helps them move from ideas to action and from action to scale. At Absa Bank, we are intentional about walking this journey with them and backing them with pathways to grow,” she said. She also expressed appreciation to the Mastercard Foundation for its sustained partnership with Absa Bank Ghana, noting that the collaboration continues to unlock real opportunities for young entrepreneurs across the country.
Representing the Mastercard Foundation, acting Head of Inclusion, Nafisatu Baboo highlighted the strength of the Foundation’s collaboration with Absa Bank and its role in expanding financial inclusion for youth. “Our partnership with Absa Bank Ghana demonstrates what is possible when institutions align around a shared mission, expanding financial inclusion, unlocking entrepreneurship and creating real opportunities for young people, especially young women and persons with disabilities,” she noted.
A panel of experts from the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), Absa, MEST Ghana and the startup community discussed the structural barriers facing young entrepreneurs. They identified limited access to finance, weak record-keeping, gaps in market access and fragmentation across the ecosystem as persistent challenges.
The panellists called for stronger coordination among institutions, better business documentation, expanded grant and patient-capital options, and increased use of digital tools to build credibility.
Young entrepreneurs from the Absa Young Africa Works programme also shared their journeys, highlighting how access to skills, coaching, and funding helped them build resilience, strengthen their business models, and scale sustainably.
Participants joined breakout sessions on access to finance, market access, and technology. The Dialogue ended with an exhibition showcasing the products and innovations of beneficiaries of the Absa Bank–Mastercard Foundation partnership.
Since 2020, the partnership under the Young Africa Works strategy has unlocked over US$137 million in affordable financing, benefiting more than 8,000 businesses, 60% of which are women-led. Over 7,000 businesses have also received training, coaching and mentoring, with over 50,000 jobs created for young people.
The 2025 Dialogue forms part of Absa Bank Ghana’s Citizenship Dialogue Series, designed to bring together ecosystem actors to align on the practical interventions needed to strengthen Ghana’s youth entrepreneurship landscape.
