Young Ghanaians aged 18 to 35 are now eligible to apply for start-up loans ranging from GH₵5,000 to GH₵500,000 under the government’s 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme (24H+). The initiative also provides free digital skills training and guaranteed internships.
The Expression of Interest portal, available at 24hplus.gov.gh, invites registrations from youth, farmers, investors, traders, and manufacturers for opportunities across agro-ecological parks, pharmaceutical innovation, textile production, air cargo logistics, and creative industry academies.
For young people specifically, the programme offers free digital training at Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) centres in all 16 regions, internships with 24H+ partner companies, and access to start-up financing. Additional concessionary loans are available through the Development Bank of Ghana, while equity funding is provided via the Venture Capital Trust Fund, with priority given to cooperatives and trade associations.
President John Dramani Mahama has described 24H+ as “a holistic, integrated multisectoral programme that allows our producers to attack the key bottlenecks holding production back in agriculture, fisheries, manufacturing, and the creative industries.”
Additional incentives for participating businesses, including those run by young entrepreneurs, include significant reductions in Corporate Income Tax for two‑shift and three‑shift operations, priority access to electricity and water, import tax exemptions on machinery and raw materials not available locally, VAT relief for firms in key sectors, export performance rebates, and geographic tax relief with tax‑free periods in the early years of operation for young entrepreneurs in manufacturing, ICT, agro‑processing, and tourism.
Other opportunities open for registration include becoming a 24/7 Ready! Business, becoming an Anchor Farmer in an Agbledu Agro‑Ecological Park, setting up an agro‑processing facility, becoming a transporter on the Volta Lake, registering interest in a Wumbei Industrial Park, participating in the Tamale Air Cargo Hub, joining the Akosombo Textiles and Garments Park, taking part in the Legon Pharmaceutical Innovation Park, and enrolling in the National Creators’ Academy.
To apply, members of the public are advised to visit 24hplus.gov.gh, navigate to the Contact Us menu, and select the Expression of Interest Form option. The 24H+ Secretariat has indicated that additional opportunities will be made available on the portal in subsequent phases.
Source: Kester Aburam Korankye