The National Youth Authority says by the end of December 2018, the Youth development policy will be reviewed and put into action.
The Chairman of the National Youth Authority said this at the Stakeholder Engagement Session with women groups on the review of the National Youth Policy on Monday.
The National Youth Authority, formally the National Youth Council, is a statutory body established by the Government of Ghana in 1974 by NRCD 241 to co-ordinate and facilitate youth development activities in the country.
This National Youth Policy is geared towards imbibing into the youth the spirit of nationalism, a sense of public service, morality and also to develop their creative potentials.
In his remarks, Mr. Asigri mentioned that “Today’s generation of young people constitute the largest the world has ever known. One in every three people alive today is under the age of thirty (30), and around ninety percent (90%) of young people are living in developing countries, mainly in Asia and Africa.”
“The situation for Ghana is not different. About 16 million of Ghana’s current population according to the Ghana Statistical Service is below 35 years. This constitutes about two-thirds of Ghana’s population. As such, the workload on the National Youth Authority is quite a herculean task. Nonetheless, we are doing our best amidst the prevailing challenges to meaningfully engage and respond to the needs of the largest generation of young people Ghana has ever known.”
He also stated in an interview with Citi News that the policy is expected to be complete by the end of the year.
“We are hoping that as we go along, per the timetable we have, by December, the end of this year, we should have reviewed the document and put it in place for youth development.”
The Chairman of the NYA, however expressed his disappointment at some government officials who didn’t show up for the meeting.
“Such an important occasion and then you send invitations, do follow ups, push to see how we are going to get representatives from these political parties and you come in here and don’t find them up here. It is quite a worrying situation situation.”
Action Aid Ghana and Star Ghana have agreed to provide funds to support the consultative engagements with women groups and persons with disability groups.
The Commonwealth secretariat in London has engaged a consultant to help the review process.
The need for the youth to be effective necessitated the development of this current National Youth Policy of Ghana in 2010 under the theme, “Towards an empowered youth, impacting positively on national development”.
The policy covers 19 areas, including: Education & Skills Training, Youth in Modern Agriculture, Gender Mainstreaming, Youth in Conflict Prevention & Peace-Building.
Some key stakeholders include the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the National Youth Authority, youth associations, and international development partners.
It is to be implemented through an action plan outlining time-frames and budget.
–
By: Rita Mensah/citinewsroom.com/Ghana