The Association of Ghana Startups (AGS), in partnership with AFOS Foundation, WERise Network, through the Digivibeproject, has officially launched the TechServe Employability Program, a national initiative aimed at recruiting and deploying women in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) careers into startups and SMEs across Ghana.
The program was launched as the second phase of the successful AGS–NSS Startup Employment Support Program (2023–2025), which deployed National Service Personnel to startups and strengthened workforce capacity across Ghana’s growingStartup and Innovation ecosystems.
The TechServe Employability Program specifically focuses on bridging the gender gap in the technology sector by creating structured opportunities for female ICT graduates to gain practical startup experience while supporting startups with the skilled talent they need to scale.
It is supported by the Special Initiative (SI) “Decent Work for a Just Transition”, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through sequa gGmbH.
Speaking at the launch, Solomon Adjei, President of the Association of Ghana Startups, emphasized the importance of empowering women in the digital economy.
“Ghana has thousands of talented female ICT graduates who are eager to contribute to innovation and economic growth. At the same time, Startups and SMEs struggle to access skilled technical talent. TechServe bridges this gap by connecting women in tech with high-growth businesses where they can gain practical experience while driving innovation.”
Md. Eunice Adjei, the team lead WERise Network, key implementers of the DigiVibe project, lauded the initiative and pledged her total support to ensuring it succeeds to create the impact needed within the female employability sectors.
Addressing the Gender Gap in Tech
Despite the rapid growth of the digital economy, women remain significantly underrepresented in technology-related careers. The TechServe program seeks to change this by building Ghana’s largest pipeline of female tech talent for startups and innovation-driven companies.
Through the program, female National Service Personnel with backgrounds in Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering, Data Science, and related disciplines will be recruited and deployed into Startups and SMEs where they will gain hands-on experience.
Program Structure
Participants in the TechServe Employability Program will benefit from:
Benefits for Startups
Startups participating in the program will gain access to highly motivated female ICT talent while reducing hiring costs and strengthening their technical capacity. The program is expected to support product development, innovation, and operational scaling across participating startups.
University Partnerships
To ensure a strong talent pipeline, AGS is partnering with leading universities across Ghana including:
These partnerships will facilitate recruitment of female ICT graduates and strengthen collaboration between academia and the startup ecosystem.
Program Targets
The TechServe Employability Program aims to achieve the following targets in its initial phase:
Call for Collaboration
The Association of Ghana Startups is inviting corporate organizations, development partners, universities, and ecosystem stakeholders to support the initiative through sponsorship, mentorship, training, publicity, and leadership support for Student Startup Clubs.
The TechServe Employability Program represents a major step toward building a more inclusive and innovation-driven digital economy in Ghana.
