The Africa Centre for Entrepreneurship and Youth Empowerment (ACEYE) once again took centre stage in Africa’s liberty movement as it was named one of the Top 3 finalists in the prestigious Africa Liberty Awards 2025. At the Africa Liberty Forum in Nairobi, Kenya, hosted by Atlas Network in partnership with African Students for Liberty, ACEYE was officially recognized for this achievement, joining liberty champions from across the continent in celebrating the impact of its work.
This recognition highlights the impact of ACEYE’s flagship initiative, the Regional Entrepreneurship Freedom (REF) Index, a pioneering annual study that ranks Ghana’s 16 regions based on key indicators affecting entrepreneurs, from trade freedom to property rights. More than just a ranking, the REF Index provides region-specific recommendations to reform Ghana’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, helping policymakers identify both opportunities and bottlenecks.
On behalf of small business owners and other entrepreneurs, ACEYE has expanded its stakeholder engagement to ensure the findings drive real change. This has included hosting regular Regional Entrepreneurship Policy Dialogues, meeting with ministries, regulatory bodies, and government agencies, and even engaging diplomatic missions to mount international pressure for reforms. Notably, ACEYE has worked closely with high-level offices such as the Office of the Vice President, maintaining a national dialogue on entrepreneurship freedom.
To date, ACEYE has engaged over 250 key stakeholders, equipping policymakers with concrete, actionable ideas to create a more enabling environment for small businesses and economic growth across the country.
As one of only three organizations to make it to the final stage, ACEYE stood with Liberty Sparks (Tanzania) and the Institute of Race Relations (South Africa), both widely recognized in Africa’s liberty movement. Read more about the finalists here. Sharing the stage with such longstanding and accomplished institutions underscores the significance of ACEYE’s work and the growing recognition of its impact.
For ACEYE, this achievement is more than a badge of honor, it is a rallying call. It reaffirms the organization’s unwavering commitment to advancing liberty through data-driven policy advocacy, principled leadership, and the courageous engagement of young Africans. This recognition signals that grassroots, bottom-up approaches to freedom do not just inspire conversation, they drive real change.
At the Forum, ACEYE’s leadership was not just present, it was on the frontlines of thought leadership. Emmanuel Acquah (Founding CEO) delivered a compelling session on “Communicating Liberty: Best Practices for Youth Outreach”, offering practical strategies to inspire civic engagement and liberty-based thinking among young Africans. He also chaired a session at the George Ayittey Society, leading a dynamic discussion on sustaining liberty in politically restrictive environments.
Similarly, Victoria Kuzorli (Managing Associate) took the stage to speak on “Overcoming Illiberalism: Local Strategies for Liberty in Sub-Saharan Africa”, demonstrating how youth empowerment and entrepreneurial education can become transformative tools for defending liberty in challenging contexts. She emphasized the importance of data and evidence in shifting public perception and shaping policy, while offering grounded, experience-based recommendations to liberty defenders across the continent.
In the years ahead, ACEYE intends to build on this momentum by deepening its research, expanding its policy dialogues, and strengthening partnerships across the continent. The journey toward economic freedom is far from over, but with a growing network of allies and a clear mission, ACEYE is determined to prove that liberty-led reform is not only possible in Africa, it’s inevitable. ACEYE extends its gratitude to Atlas Network for the recognition and their ongoing support of liberty-focused initiatives across the continent.
About the Africa Liberty Awards
The Africa Liberty Awards recognize exceptional projects that advance individual and economic freedoms on the continent. Organized annually by Atlas Network, the awards celebrate innovation, impact, and commitment to liberty.
