ERIC ADJEI: Upcoming NEIP Programs Will Transform Ghanaian Youth

The Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), Mr. Eric Adjei has expressed excitement over the several initiatives his outfit has coming up, adding that, it would pave the way for hope for all Ghanaians irrespective of party affiliation.

He mentioned the 120-day key policies, the Adwumawura initiative, the Nkoko Ntiti policy which he explained would be in partnership with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.

“When you look at our 120-day key policies, as outlined by His Excellency in his address to the nation, the Adwumawura initiative was already developed and submitted as a concept. Other initiatives, such as the Vice-Presidential Women Empowerment Program for Persons with Disabilities, the Coders Program, and the National Apprenticeship Program (all developed by NEIP), were also part of our plans” he stated emphatically in an interview on Asempa FM ‘Ekosiisen’ on Wednesday March 5, 2025.

He further explained how the initiatives would improve on the living condition of the Ghanaian populace, “However, only Adwumawura was mentioned in the address. The aim of Adwumawura is to train Ghanaians by providing mentorship and equipping them with the skills needed to create their own jobs. The initiative intends to train 10,000 youth and provide them with startup capital and equipment. Additionally, we plan to develop a mobile app to showcase our initiatives for the country. We are introducing new programs and want NEIP to partner with the Ministry of Agriculture for the implementation of Mahama’s Nkoko Ntiti policy”.

He indicated that, a program editor has been tasked to review past initiatives of the previous administration and if need be, there would be continuation of such initiatives.

“We have told Ghanaians that we are here to reset the economy, not just upgrade it. Personally, regarding the Kayayei program, we did not achieve the results we expected. As the CEO, I do not fully support that idea. We have hired a program auditor to assess all initiatives from John Kuma’s tenure to date, to identify the impactful one’s worth continuing” he made it known.

Explaining what he describes as change of plan and focus on the institution initiatives over some period of time, he said his leadership role would restore it to its fullest obligation and purpose.

“If we look at the history of NEIP, under the Mills-Mahama administration, it was known as Youth Enterprise Support. Everyone who took over afterward was a presidential staffer assigned to the role. That has always been the case. In previous governments, NEIP has mainly functioned as a special-purpose vehicle used to run programs that the government prioritized. However, when the NDC established it, the primary intention was to bring the dreams of Ghanaian youth to life. Currently, NEIP lacks legal backing or any legislative instrument guiding its operations.”

He continued, “I want to take this opportunity to commend Kofi Owusu Nkansah because, during his tenure, a technical committee was formed, consisting of the Chamber of Young Entrepreneurs and Ghana Hub Networks. They initiated the Startup and Innovation Act, which, although a bill, has yet to be passed into law. That is part of what was handed over.

“The previous administration is no longer in place, so I am now working with the other team. In 2019, an MOU was signed between the World Bank and NEIP. The World Bank is actually responsible for providing clarity on how we can pass our bill into an act. After President Mahama issued the Executive Instrument (EI), some agencies were merged under the Youth Ministry. Since most of our operations focus on Ghanaian youth, we are now an agency under the Youth Ministry. If you recall, after John Kuma left NEIP to assume his role as Deputy Finance Minister, NEIP was moved from the Office of the President to the Finance Ministry.”

Mr. Adjei in addition reinstated the point that, he hasn’t sacked any worker at the institution stating that, he would recall workers back to operation when all necessary checks are sorted out which he says would be sooner.

“As a responsible citizen, I cannot simply dismiss people. If you even read the memo, it was an internal document, yet I am being criticized on social media for it. Every role or job assigned to you comes with learning experiences. As you learn, you identify initiatives that drive progress and continue with them while disregarding those that hinder development. Upon assuming office, my team and I began restructuring NEIP. Based on the documents I reviewed, I realized that many things were out of order and not aligned with the right direction.

“When I started the restructuring process and reviewed programs, initiatives, and HR appointment files, I discovered that some staff had worked for two, three, or even four years. However, the manner in which their appointment letters were issued was improper—they could not even be classified as official appointment letters.

He added, “As the head of the institution, I proposed reforms to help rebuild the organization. I met with the affected employees and informed them that their appointment letters were vague. Additionally, I noticed that some employees had worked for years, yet their SSNIT contributions had not been paid. Even in the accounts department’s records, payments made to these employees were classified as allowances instead of salaries.

“I asked myself: Who receives an appointment letter and is paid an allowance instead of a salary? Clearly, something was wrong. PAYE (Pay As You Earn) deductions should apply to salaries, but I realized allowances were being taxed as PAYE instead. This was an irregularity I could not continue to overlook.”