Two ministries institute actions to salvage GYEEDA
Far-reaching actions have been taken by the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Justice and the Attorney General’s Department to restructure the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA).
Advertisement
The actions aim at ridding GYEEDA of financial malfeasance, as well as retrieving all money owed the agency.
As part of the measures, the Ministry of Youth and Sports has placed a moratorium on the creation of new modules under GYEEDA.
It had also suspended all payments to GYEEDA service providers until further notice.
For its part, the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General’s Department has issued demand notices to all service providers who owe GYEEDA, to retrieve all money owed the agency.
A statement issued by the Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah, said the actions were in compliance with President Mahama's directive to stakeholder ministries and agencies to take measures to resolve all the concerns raised in the GYEEDA report.
On November 15, 2013, the President directed the Attorney General’s Department and the Ministries of Justice, Finance and Economic Planning, Youth and Sports, as well as the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana police Service, to address all the issues raised in the GYEEDA report.
Outstanding allowances
The statement said all outstanding allowances owed GYEEDA beneficiaries had been processed.
"The accounts of the beneficiaries will be created by December 20, 2013. In addition, all the outstanding salary arrears of GYEEDA staff have been processed and would be paid also by December 20, 2013," it said.
Meanwhile, the statement said more than 30 people, including the current Minister of Youth and Sports and other ministers of state, as well as some former ministers, has been interrogated or questioned by a team of law enforcement agencies based at the headquarters of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
"Some of the people questioned were detained while some others were granted bail," it said.
Value for money
According to the statement, a committee has been formed to determine the value for money test of the various GYEEDA contracts and advise accordingly.
It said on the basis of the report of the committee, all the GYEEDA modules would be reviewed and those that did not meet the value for money test would be cancelled.
"As part of measures to ensure fairness in the determination of value for money test of the contracts, the ministry is engaging service providers and other officials of GYEEDA in its discourse," it said.
Final resolution
The statement asserted that the government was taking legal and appropriate measures to resolve all issues of concern raised in the GYEEDA report.
"In doing this, transparency and fairness will be its watchword. For that matter, people cited in the report would be given the chance to defend themselves as provided for in our statutes or laws," it said.
The statement said ultimately, it was expected that GYEEDA would be restructured and positioned to fulfil its mandate of providing jobs and relevant skills for the youth.
