B&FT, Ecobank rally youth to build scalable businesses

The 2026 Youth Economic Forum (YEF), organised by Business and Financial Times (B&FT) in partnership Ecobank Ghana, rallied young entrepreneurs to build scalable businesses – shifting the focus from access to capital alone to development of structured systems, disciplined execution and strategic partnerships.

The forum underscored a coordinated push by financial institutions and academia to support youth-led enterprises with the tools, mentorship and institutional backing needed for long-term growth.

The one-day forum, held at the University of Professional Studies-Accra (UPSA), brought together students, entrepreneurs, policymakers and corporate leaders under the theme ‘From Potential to Prosperity: Youth Driving the New Economy’.

The forum was also in partnership with UPSA and the Moreshet Foundation.

Dr. Godwin Acquaye, Chief Executive Officer-B&FT, said this platform was designed to complement the long-running Ghana Economic Forum by focusing specifically on youth enterprise.

“We started a few years ago and this is our third edition,” he said, noting that the initiative is driven by the conviction empowering young people will strengthen the economy over time.

Beyond the annual gathering, he said, the organisers have established a virtual community connecting young people across Africa for peer learning and access to business resources. Pre-forum engagements, including an entrepreneurship session led by Dr. Andrews Ayiku, attracted nearly 1,000 participants. According to Acquaye, the objective is moving young people “to stand up for themselves, to start their own businesses” supported by networks that can accelerate growth.

Ecobank Ghana signalled that youth enterprise will form a larger part of its strategic focus. Tara Squire, Executive Director and Head of Consumer Banking, said the bank’s involvement goes beyond sponsorship. “It’s not really about dialogue and conversation, but mainly about practical solutions and opportunities that will enable the youth to thrive,” he said.

Mr. Squire disclosed the bank is preparing to launch a youth-specific initiative and stressed that business failure is often linked to weak systems rather than funding constraints. “One of the main reasons why businesses fail is not lack of access to finance, but structure,” he said, adding that Ecobank intends to provide digital tools and financial solutions to support disciplined growth.

He pointed to the bank’s cross-border digital transfer network spanning 33 African countries and its account-opening platforms that reduce reliance on physical branches. Collaboration among banks, media and educational institutions, he said, is essential to building an ecosystem capable of supporting young entrepreneurs across sectors including agribusiness, technology, education and health.

The forum’s academic host framed entrepreneurship as central to Ghana’s economic structure. Professor John Kwaku Mensah Mawutor, Vice-Chancellor of UPSA, said small and medium-sized enterprises account for about 90 percent of businesses in Ghana, contribute roughly 60 percent of gross domestic product and generate around 80 percent of employment.

However, he noted that many youth-led ventures struggle to transition from ideas to sustainable operations due to limited mentorship and weak internal systems.

“You generate the idea, you translate it into products and the next issue is sustainability, longevity,” he said.

UPSA has introduced mandatory courses in entrepreneurship and ethics as part of its curriculum. The Youth Economic Forum forms part of that training pathway and is compulsory for certain students. The Vice-Chancellor said the goal is to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset grounded in discipline and ethical values rather than short-term gains.

A central feature of the event was the YEF Entrepreneurship Challenge 2026. Five finalists were selected from more than 100 applicants to compete for cash prizes and structured support. The winner will receive GH¢50,000, followed by GH¢30,000 for second place,              GH¢20,000 for third and GH¢15,000 each for fourth and fifth positions. Organisers said the awards will be accompanied by mentorship and business development support to improve survival rates beyond the early years.

The keynote entrepreneurship session, led by Dr. Maxwell Ampong – Chief Executive Officer of Maxwell Investment Group – focused on the transition from side-hustles to scalable enterprises. He cautioned that early-stage businesses often depend excessively on individual effort rather than replicable systems.

“A scalable business survives on systems,” he said, urging participants to replace improvisation with processes and data-driven decision-making.

Dr. Ampong also addressed reputational risk in the digital age, advising young entrepreneurs to prioritise discipline and operational strength over public displays of success. “Success that is disciplined survives,” he said, warning that overt displays of growth can attract unnecessary pressure and resistance.

The broader message from the forum was that youth enterprise policy must extend beyond start-up capital toward ecosystem design. Organisers emphasised mentorship, ethical grounding, financial literacy and digital infrastructure as foundational components of enterprise development.

For banks, the approach aligns with financial inclusion objectives by embedding youth-focused products within structured training platforms, potentially deepening account ownership, digital adoption and cross-border transaction volumes. For universities, integrating entrepreneurship into academic pathways reflects a shift toward employability and venture creation.

Questions remain about long-term sustainability. Prize-based competitions and short-term training programmes can catalyse interest, but durable impact will depend on follow-through, market access and regulatory stability. The ability of young entrepreneurs to move from ideation to structured growth will also hinge on macroeconomic conditions, including credit availability and consumer demand.

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