International Youth Day: How One Entrepreneur Is Equipping Young People With Practical Skills

As the world marks International Youth Day today, the story of John Judah Praise and XclusiveKobb offers an example of how practical skills training can help young people create opportunities for themselves. John, the founder of XclusiveKobb, a Ghanaian business specialising in custom apparel branding, equipment and training, has been using his experience in the industry to teach young people skills in apparel printing and entrepreneurship. For him, the objective goes beyond teaching participants how to operate printing equipment. He wants trainees to acquire skills they can turn into income-generating ventures. “Every time someone I’ve trained starts earning from the skills they learned through XclusiveKobb, it reminds me why I started,” John said.

His approach comes at a time when youth unemployment and the need for practical, marketable skills remain important issues for young people in Ghana. John believes young entrepreneurs should not necessarily wait until they have substantial capital or ideal conditions before starting. Instead, he encourages them to make use of the resources available to them and build gradually. His own experience also highlights the role social media can play in connecting young people to opportunities. Through TikTok, John shares educational and behind-the-scenes content about his work, allowing prospective trainees and customers to learn more about the industry. The platform has grown into a significant channel for XclusiveKobb, with more than 81,000 followers and 507,000 likes. But John says the real value lies in building trust and providing useful information rather than simply chasing views. “Views don’t pay the bills—trust does,” he said.

As International Youth Day draws attention to the potential, challenges and aspirations of young people, John’s work demonstrates one pathway through which skills development can translate into entrepreneurship and livelihoods. For John, the measure of success is therefore not only the growth of his own business, but whether the people he trains are able to use what they have learnt to build businesses and earn a living. “Success is not just about growing my business—it’s about helping others build theirs too.”

By: Kukua Snead-Michaels