The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has announced to create a separate Ministry for Youth Development to advance the youth empowerment agenda.
According to the Party, the Ministry for Youth Development will mainstream and prioritize youth issues and coordinate the implementation of comprehensive youth development policies and related agencies.
A portion of the Party’s 2020 Manifesto said it is committed to prioritizing youth development through various youth empowerment and entrepreneurship policies and programmes.
The Opposition Party said it will take cognizance of the growing disappointment and frustration among the youth as a result of high unemployment which has been worsened by the ill-conceived and poorly implemented policies of the failed Akufo-Addo administration.
Below are other policies the Party intends to do for the youth when given the node:
# The next NDC Government will harness the potential of our youth by implementing comprehensive, multifaceted and innovative programmes.
# We will also provide a more effective institutional framework for empowering our youth for national development.
# Address the multifaceted issues confronting the various categories of youth in the country;
# Coordinate entrepreneurship and skills training opportunities for all young people especially vulnerable youth groups;
# facilitates youth participation in decision-making at all levels for national development.
# Implement the National Youth Authority Act.
# Young Entrepreneurs Development Programme (YEDEP): This will be established to support young entrepreneurs with technical and financial start-ups and to expand their business with zero percent interest.
# This will, in the future, expand into a micro-credit scheme for young people.
# One Million Coders Programme (OMCP): This initiative will be implemented through a public-private partnership to provide free training to one million (1,000,000) youth with knowledge and skills for:
# coding and programming
b. web developing, apps development, etc.
# expands opportunities in the knowledge and ICT based economy.
# Build the capacities of the youth and create more employment through the Youth Employment Agency (YEA)
# Decentralise and convert the Labour Office into the National Employment Bureau equipped with state of-the-art systems
6. Grant tax-waivers to employers who employ through the National Employment Bureau
# Establish desks to provide a one-stop-shop for business advisory services such as business registration and filing of tax returns etc. for start-ups at the district level through NBSSI.
# Implement a programme to select and support at least five (5) youth ICT champions in every region in Ghana.
Source: Mybrytfmonline/Kofi Atakora
