Learn more about the key takeaways from the session! What was the Session about?

What was the session about?

The session explored evolving investment models to better support young entrepreneurs by addressing financial, regulatory, and systemic barriers. Participants discussed innovative financing strategies, investor engagement, and policy reforms to enhance access to funding. The insights gathered will inform a policy paper and spotlight video to drive long-term change.

Objectives of the session:

• To identify financial, regulatory, and systemic barriers that young entrepreneurs face when accessing investment.
• To examine real-life case studies of young entrepreneurs who successfully navigated or challenged existing financing frameworks.
• Discussions focused on advocacy strategies that young entrepreneurs, in collaboration with public and private partners, use to influence policy reforms and create supportive financial ecosystems.
• Participants collaborated to develop actionable policy recommendations and solutions at local, national, and international levels to improve financing options for young entrepreneurs.

Objectives of the Series: 

Strengthen the enabling environment for youth entrepreneurship as a means to strengthen democracy globally. Insights from each session in this series will be captured and analysed, and a summary brief will be developed. This will inform a video spotlight report and a policy paper with recommendations on how the private sector and governments can better support youth entrepreneurship.

Key takeaways from the session:

• Lack of business incubators, mentorship programs, and networking opportunities makes it harder for young entrepreneurs to access funding.
• Bureaucratic hurdles, high taxation, and inconsistent policies discourage investment in youth-led businesses.
• Youth-led businesses are considered high-risk, making loan repayment difficult. Many financial institutions demand land or assets that young entrepreneurs do not possess.
• Government grant programs exist but have overly complex application procedures. Expensive business registration processes often discourage young entrepreneurs from formalizing their ventures.
• Many young entrepreneurs lack financial literacy on investment pitching and funding applications.
• Crowdfunding remains underdeveloped and inaccessible in many regions.

Recommendations

Governments

• Introduce youth-specific grants and zero-interest loans to ease entry barriers.
• Establish public-private partnerships (PPPs) to create youth investment funds.
• Reduce taxation on startups and offer investment incentives for businesses supporting young entrepreneurs.
• Governments and financial institutions should develop localized crowdfunding platforms tailored to youth-led businesses.
• Training programs should teach young entrepreneurs how to design and run effective crowdfunding campaigns.
• Ensure that a percentage of government contracts are allocated to youth-led enterprises.
• Simplify business registration and licensing procedures to make formalization easier for young entrepreneurs.

Education Institutions

• Integrate entrepreneurship training and financial literacy into school curricula.
• Establish business incubation centers in universities and colleges to provide mentorship, co-working spaces, and seed funding.
• Develop international exchange programs to expose young entrepreneurs to global best practices and investment networks.
• Make entrepreneurship and financial literacy a mandatory subject across all disciplines.

Private Sector & Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs)

• Encourage venture capital firms and angel investors to support youth entrepreneurs through targeted programs.
• Facilitate impact-driven investment models, where startups receive milestone-based funding.
• Encourage corporate mentorship programs where established entrepreneurs support youth-led businesses.
• Design startup competitions with seed funding and market access opportunities.
• Encourage partnerships between banks, mobile money providers, and digital lenders to create flexible financing solutions.
• Governments can support fintech startups that develop youth-friendly financial products.
• Promote blockchain and AI-driven lending models to enhance credit accessibility.
• Governments and private sector players can create matching-fund programs where entrepreneurs receive financing upon completing skills training.
• Business competitions with funding rewards should be institutionalized to recognize and support high-potential youth-led enterprises.
• International organizations should facilitate global networking opportunities for youth entrepreneurs.

Young entrepreneurs don’t lack ambition—they lack access. The future of business depends on our ability to break financial barriers and build systems that trust youth to lead.

Young Participant, Sierra Leone

Moderator of the session

Caleb J. Masusu

Speakers of the session

Entrepreneurship Expert – Aashish Adhikari

Youth Speaker – Samiya Abdulkadir Godu