The E4Impact Foundation and Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC) will on Friday, March 27, 2026 formally inaugurate the Italian Innovation Center at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), alongside the first I.N.S.P.I.R.E. Entrepreneurship and Job Fair, bringing together employers, investors, students, and startups at the Amartey Towers Building on the UPSA campus.
The dual event marks a major implementation milestone for the I.N.S.P.I.R.E. Project (Implementing New Solutions for the Professional Integration of Human Resources in the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Ghana), which was officially launched in June 2025 with funding from the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF).
The Italian Innovation Center, now permanently housed at UPSA, is designed to serve as a hub for technology transfer and business linkages between Ghana and Italy, offering training programmes, SME growth support, and exhibition space for Italian and Ghanaian technologies.
Friday’s job fair will open with a morning plenary session running from 8:30 am to noon, featuring a keynote address on the project’s vision and an expert panel discussion on the future of work, digital transformation, and the growing demand for green skills. A startup showcase will run alongside the plenary, exhibiting business innovations from students and alumni of UPSA’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation programme.
The broader I.N.S.P.I.R.E. project aims to create 1,620 direct jobs, with 35 percent reserved for women and persons with disabilities, while providing skills training to 4,615 young Ghanaians and supporting the growth of 570 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the Greater Accra, Ashanti, Northern, Bono, and Western regions.
Participants at Friday’s event can engage directly with hiring managers for internship and employment opportunities, pitch business concepts to investors and mentors, and attend masterclasses on artificial intelligence and sustainable business practices.
The implementing consortium includes UPSA, E4Impact Foundation, UCSC, CRISP Università di Milano-Bicocca, VIS Volontariato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo, and Don Bosco Youth Network West Africa.
