Strategic Empowerment Network-Ghana

Strategic Empowerment Network-Ghana (SENG) is a non-governmental organization youth-led organisation registered under the laws of Ghana, with elderly guidance and direction with its main objective, creating jobs, investing in people. As young people, we believe that, we equally have a responsibility to contribute to the development and growth of Ghana. SENG, a youth led and youth focused organization headquartered in Ghana with satellite offices in Nigeria and Togo as well in Kenya. The organization is operated by young people (ages 15–30) and adult allies working on youth entrepreneurship and development and empowerment related issues worldwide. SENG was established in 2009. As young people are the largest human resources that are not really and adequately utilized for the development and growth of the country and the continent at large. SENG as a youth-led organisation in this direction, calls and supports youth action, creates the platform for young people to be innovate and creative by utilizing what they have being taught or their natural skills, talents to develop a strategic and practical business plans that can ease the unemployment situation in the country thereby, involving in decision making and key developmental and global issues that will enhance the public and private sector. The core areas targeted by SENG’s activities and projects are: 1.Youth Entrepreneurship 2. Job Creation 3. Investing young people 4. Linking Entrepreneurship with Millennium Development Goals Furthermore, professional youth-led development is the heart of our methodology – the delivery of high-quality, evidence-based development, at scale, by young people. Our youth-led approach is put into practice at all levels, making our values tangible in everything we do. Our direct programme delivery is led by young women and men (average age 21), and our young professional staff have an average age of 25, and the senior management has an average age of 33. At national and international levels, all Trustees and National Boards include at least two members under the age of 25. This youth-led approach can unlock the massive potential of the one resource which every country has in abundance – young people. In addition to our core youth-led development approach, our work is based on several principles which guide us in programme design, resource allocation and selection of partners: We base our work on local circumstances. The focus of our work, the issues we seek to address, and the approach we use, are all derived from local needs identified by young people according to country, region and community. We always work within existing structures. We always work in formal partnership and under the umbrella of national development plans and international development frameworks like the Millennium Development Goals to maximize the impact and sustainability of our work. We use long-term, holistic approaches. The issues which affect young people are interrelated, and so we address them together. We also work with parents, teachers, communities, and government partners to create a supportive environment for young people. We focus on under-served areas. Development efforts often get bottled up in capital cities and major towns. Our youth-led approach is particularly appropriate for underserved, often rural, communities, as young people are in general more willing and able to work in more remote and/or challenging environments.