“We were given nothing”: Kayayei Empowerment Programme had no handover documents

The National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP) has disclosed that it inherited no documentation or data on the Kayayei Empowerment Programme introduced under the previous administration, forcing the current leadership to effectively start afresh.

Speaking on Off The Lens on Online Times’ YouTube channel, Director of Corporate and Legal Affairs at NEIP, Raymond Bidema, Esq., said no records were handed over to the new management to guide continuity of the programme.

“When we came, we were not given anything. I am Director of Corporate and Legal Affairs, and no single paper has been handed over to me. So, in terms of the Kayayei Empowerment Programme, we don’t know where to start from,” he stated.

He explained that while governance is a continuous process, NEIP was left without institutional memory on its own initiative, noting that it may not have been legally binding at the time.

Raymond Bidema revealed that the current administration is now moving to transition NEIP from a programme into a full-fledged agency, adding that a bill has already been proposed and is expected to be passed by Parliament to give the institution a stronger legal footing.

On claims by former NEIP Chief Executive Officer Kofi Ofosu Nkansah that about 100,000 youth were trained during his tenure, Raymond Bidema said the current management has not found any verifiable data to support the assertion.

“Yes, we have heard the claims, but we have not had any data to back whatever they are saying,” he said.

To address longstanding data gaps, he disclosed that NEIP has developed a new digital portal that captures all training activities under flagship programmes such as Adwumawura.

“There is a portal now. With just a click, you can know the number of people being trained and even which hub is training whom. Even the President, sitting in his office, can monitor what we are doing at NEIP,” Raymond Bidema noted.

He added that the system also serves as NEIP’s Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) platform, a move aimed at strengthening transparency and attracting development partners who require reliable data before committing funding.

On whether NEIP runs a programme specifically for kayayei, Mr. Bidema clarified that Adwumawura is inclusive and not segmented by labels.

“We don’t have anything called Kayayei. Anyone between 18 and 45, including women and persons with disability, qualifies. It is about nomenclature. Adwumawura is for all young Ghanaians,” he explained.

He stressed that beneficiaries are selected based on the existence of a legitimate business or viable idea, rather than social status, insisting that NEIP’s focus remains on scalability and sustainability.

Click here to watch the full interview…