The YAFO Institute is pleased to announce the release of its 2025 Annual Report themed, ‘’Market Works.’’ The Report highlights a year of significant progress, policy reform, and deepening organizational strength aimed at promoting civil liberty, free enterprise, and prosperity in Ghana.
Through this theme, we present a compelling reminder of the persistent ideas that drive economic freedom. In a society tempted by shortcuts and central bureaucracy, we reiterate that true success develops from voluntary exchanges, inventions, and incentives that markets naturally promote. This is rooted in our identity and roots as inspired by one of the oldest ports in the world, YAFO.
In 2025, the YAFO Institute implemented the Decentralized Business Empowerment (DBE) Programme which sought to support Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in addressing emerging economic challenges and leveraging innovative financial technologies. This was held in response to persistent constraints within Ghana’s business environment, including inflationary pressures, currency volatility, limited access to financing, and high operational costs, which continue to affect SME sustainability and growth. In this regard, we equipped the capacity of emerging businesses and entrepreneurs in utilizing blockchain technology and decentralized financial tools to conquer these challenges and financial constraints.
Again, the Liberty Sphere, a flagship project was launched, which sought to deepen participants’ understanding of liberty, free market principles, and public policy was held in the year under review. This training program brought together 125 participants for both Liberty Sphere policy ground training and Liberty Sphere conference. The participants were from diverse professional and academic backgrounds, including individual change makers, students, journalists, activists, and entrepreneurs, all united by a shared commitment to advancing freedom-centred ideas in Ghana’s policy space. The training featured distinguished facilitators who brought expertise from academia, policy advocacy and free market economics. Culminating this training was the Battle Grounds Policy Pitch Competition, which provided participants with a platform to develop and present innovative policy proposals addressing critical socio-economic challenges and a cash prize of GHS6000.
Moreover, the YAFO Institute successfully represented and engaged in Africa Liberty Forum 2025 hosted by Atlas Network with the Africa Students for Liberty as co-host in Kenya. The Institute had three of its staff representing, benefitting from capacity building programs organized. Two of our Policy Scholars were also admitted into the George Ayittey Society.
Our research work on free-SHS titled, Counting the Costs: The Unintended Consequences of Ghana’s Free Senior High School Policy on Household Poverty, which evaluated the policy’s effect on household poverty in 2024 saw the implementation of some of the recommendations in 2025. We held a Free SHS Policy Reform Dialogue to assess impact in the ongoing Free SHS reform implementation efforts by the government of Ghana.
Our year was wrapped up with the Heroes of Liberty Dinner & Awards (HOLDA). HOLDA offers the opportunity to reflect and evaluate our year as well as offer a platform for recognizing individuals driving our mission and the libertarian course. These names and faces can be found in the chapter on Hall of Fame.
Finally, this report offers a glimpse into what 2026 holds for the organization as well as the faces of individuals behind the various teams within the Organization. The report can be accessed in pdf, click here to download.
