Govt urged to pay attention to youth economic empowerment
A member of the Technical Committee working to review the national youth policy, Mr Alex Bankole Williams, has called on the government to pay attention to policies of economic empowerment for the youth as a matter of urgency to reduce the security dangers that come with high youth unemployment.
He indicated that it was also important that efforts at creating employment for the nation’s youth must involve creating opportunities in the informal sector.
He was speaking at a validation workshop for youth in the Cape Coast Metropolis.
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Little resources, no coordination
He indicated that while a lot of interventions had been done for the youth to improve their lot, those interventions had not accomplished much because one government after another had failed to commit the requisite resources to youth development.
“There has also been no effective coordination of the various youth development policies to make the maximum impact,” he added.
He said if Ghana was to keep its peace, there was the need to control youth unemployment which was gradually becoming a security danger.
Youth Policy
The National Youth Policy is expected to be reviewed every five years to the changing needs of the nation’s youth.
In 2010, the 1999 policy was reviewed and launched in 2014.
About 50 representatives from youth organisations, political parties and faith-based organisations were present to validate the reviewed draft policy.
Mr Williams said he was optimistic the policy would help inform youth development programmes in the country.
Mr Solomon Mensah, another member of the technical committee, said he was hopeful the policy would better the lot of the nation’s youth.
Policy practical
A participant, Mr Yoel Michael John Prah of Curious Minds, a non-governmental organisation, said he found the draft policy more practical with timelines, saying if all implementing agencies committed to sticking to its implementation, it would better the lot of the Ghanaian youth.
