Innovation in Ghana isn’t happening in glass towers or tech parks. It’s happening in dusty classrooms, crowded bootcamps, and community halls. On International Youth Day, we bring you the story of two UN Volunteers who have a simple message: Show up. Listen. Build. And never underestimate what young people can achieve when someone believes in them. Let's hear from Rafiatu and Samuel, young Ghanaians, who aren’t waiting for permission to lead; they’re already doing it.
Meet Rafiatu Umarayi Alhassan and Samuel Peprah Bekoe. Both are UN Volunteer Field Coordinators and part of Young Africa Innovates (YAI) with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ghana, a bold initiative helping young people across all 16 regions of the country turn their ideas into solutions.
In Ghana, youth unemployment is a serious concern and this is where YAI is making a difference. It connects young innovators with the support they need—mentorship, funding, and practical tools—to bring their ideas to life and build a better future.
YAI is part of UNDP’s wider push for inclusive development, supporting goals like decent work and economic growth, and boosting innovation and infrastructure.
Rafiatu focuses on inclusion, working with women and persons with disabilities in northern Ghana. She designs and leads bootcamps that help participants build confidence and business skills.
“Most of the people I work with never saw themselves as innovators,” Rafiatu says. “Now they’re building businesses.” One standout story is a woman who came to a bootcamp unsure and quiet. She left with a product idea turkey berry tea and today she’s selling it in her local market.
Samuel, meanwhile, coordinates field operations from Aburi. Together with non-profit partners like FastnetLinks Innovation Hub and the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology, he tracks progress and ensures no region is left behind. Over 8,500 young innovators have registered on the YAI digital platform, and 159 have received direct support grants, mentorship, and technical assistance with a goal to reach over 500.
But the journey isn’t without challenges. In Ashanti, Samuel met innovators frustrated by delays in regulatory approvals. “They were angry,” says Samuel. “Some wanted out. I had to sit with them, explain the process, and help them push through.”
Rafiatu faces cultural and systemic barriers. In some communities, women can’t register businesses under their own names and must use their husbands’ names. She also works through tensions in disability communities, where personal biases sometimes get in the way of working together.
Both volunteers aren’t just helping with new ideas—they’re changing the way things are done. Samuel developed a job creation reporting tool to improve data accuracy and programme efficiency. Rafiatu uses storytelling and role models from past cohorts to shift community perceptions and promote inclusion. In a country where opportunity often feels out of reach, their work is opening doors for people, not with speeches, but with action.
“This is about what happens when youth are given a chance to lead,” says Samuel. “Being a UN Volunteer has changed me,” says Rafiatu. “It’s not just a role. It’s a mindset. One that says you belong.”
