Govt releases GYEEDA report; institutes interim management
The government has directed that major restructuring be done at the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA) to ensure order, efficiency and transparency in the operation of the agency.
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A government action paper on the GYEEDA report said as the Scheme underwent serious review and restructuring, efforts would be made to preserve the noble objectives while purging the scheme of the many problems, which the investigation had revealed.
''These objectives are as valid today as when the scheme was conceived and must therefore be sustained as recommended by the Committee,'' it said.
Following allegations of questionable partnership between GYEEDA and some service providers, the Ministry of Youth and Sports set up a committee to investigate the operations of GYEEDA.
The committee has since presented its report to President Mahama. The President then tasked his advisors to review the report and advise him accordingly.
An action paper on the report made available to the Daily Graphic said the process of drafting a GYEEDA Bill for consideration by cabinet and subsequently by Parliament, which began in 2012 must immediately be reactivated and completed.
It said the Chief of Staff, Mr Prosper Douglas Bani, had accordingly been instructed to coordinate work on this exercise to ensure the draft bill was ready for consideration by Cabinet not later than six weeks, and subsequently to Parliament.
The action paper said in drafting the GYEEDA Bill the issue of ministerial responsibility should be revisited.
'' It should be ascertained if the Ministry of Youth and Sports has the right orientation and operational capacity to supervise GYEEDA as a Youth Employment Scheme interfacing with the Private Sector,'' it said.
The action paper said GYEEDA Bill should take into account the weaknesses identified in the Committee’s report and should in particular provide for a Governing Board, funding sources, accounting, properly defined functions/objects and for the making of regulations.
It said pending the establishment of formal institutional and operational framework for GYEEDA, the government had undertaken to immediately establish an Interim Management Committee.
The action paper asked the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), the Attorney General’s (AG) Department and the Police Criminal and Investigative Department to assume full responsibility for investigation of all persons and organisations cited in the Ministerial Committee Report in respect of financial and administrative improprieties, as well as retrieval of monies to state.
It said the Ministerial Impact Assessment and Review Committee admitted that they did not have access to all information they required and did not have enough time to get into greater details on certain other aspects of the report. It said the Committee was unable to interrogate some of the individuals mentioned in the report.
By Musah Yahaya Jafaru/Daily Graphic/Ghana