Pius Enam Hadzide, NYA CEO
The Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Authority (NYA), Pius Enam Hadzide, has called on all Ghanaians, especially the youth, to support implementation of the YouStart initiative in order to collectively guarantee its success.
Mr Enam Hadzide made the call yesterday during a stakeholder engagement on the implementation of the Initiative in Accra.
He said the initiative is not only a flagship programme, but one of the key measures by the government to deal with the growing youth unemployment in the country.
“The successful implementation of the YouStart will yield many benefits for both the Ghanaian economy and the citizenry as a whole. The success or otherwise of the initiative will depend on all Ghanaians, especially the youth. I, therefore, urge all of us to support the implementation of the YouStart initiative,” he said.
Wake-up call
The NYA boss noted that the YouStart programme is a wake-up call for the youth to take their destinies into their own hands for the development of the country.
According to him, NYA remains poised to ensure the holistic development of the youth, adding that it would ensure that policies are put in place for their welfare.
“We care not only about entrepreneurs, we also care about youth education, skills, among others, and ensuring the implementation of the national youth policy. The NYA, not the Ministry of Finance, is mandated to mobilise the youth towards the transformation of Ghana’s economy,” he stated.
He reminded the youth that Ghana is a haven for peace and business, saying the way forward is to end youth migration and human trafficking.
YouStart objective
An acting Coordinator of YouStart Secretariat, Andy Ameckson, on behalf of Deputy Finance Minister John Kumah, explained to the youth leadership the objectives of implementing the programme.
He said with Ghana confronted with a staggering 11.7 million youth population, it is important that those outside the employment bracket have benefit from intervention programmes like the YouStart.
The programme, he said, had targeted several thousands of youth who will be provided with capacity building skills while a platform is created for them youth to have access to the market for goods produced under the initiative.
Mr Ameckson disclosed that 500,000 youth will be provided the start-ups, depending on the size of the business each one operates or proposal submitted.
He added that, though the money would not be paid directly to the individuals, it will come in the form of equipment or logistics and training.
The Chief Executive Officer of National Entrepreneurship Innovation Programme (NEIP), Kofi Ofosu Nkansah, said the burden of having over 2.2 million youth in the country that are not employed is the reason why government under President Akufo-Addo introduced the YouStart intervention Programme.
He added that the programme is aimed at moving the youth from searching for non-existent jobs to employing oneself to reduce the unemployment rate.
“Applicants will be expected to go through screening processes before engagement in the capacity building. Credible loans will be given to the start-ups without collateral at four percent interest rate. The minimum membership for any group under the initiative, will be at least ten people per group,” he stated.
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