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23.04.2014 General News

‘Stop GYEEDA Advert’

By Daily Guide
Mr. Atik MohammedMr. Atik Mohammed
23.04.2014 LISTEN

Mr. Atik Mohammed
A group calling itself Mass Action Committee (MAC) has given government a week's ultimatum to withdraw the advert requesting bids for the running of an ICT module under the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA), or face their wrath.

According to the group, until proper restructuring was done to sanitize and rebuild GYEEDA, no new module should be introduced.

Speaking at a press conference in Accra, Atik Mohammed, spokesperson of MAC said government gave a directive for the suspension of all modules under GYEEDA after a 'rot' was uncovered.

He said a new national coordinator was subsequently appointed to help in the sanitization and rebuilding of GYEEDA.

'Unfortunately and rather strangely, before the restructuring and the other activities could begin, an advertisement was placed in the Daily Graphic newspaper dated April 3, 2014 requesting bids for the running of the ICT module under GYEEDA. This advert bore names of the Agency and National Coordinator as its owners,' Mr. Mohammed said.

The advert, he said, in all conscience, betrayed the essence of the directives given by President Mahama and the purpose of the restructuring process.

'We also strongly suspect a subtle and surreptitious attempt to reinvent the 'Old GYEEDA' by this singular act,' Mr. Mohammed said.

He appealed to the President, whose commitment to GYEEDA's survival was made clear in this year's State of the Nation Address, to ensure the retraction of the so called advert.

'We further demand that the National Coordinator of GYEEDA, Mr. Kobby Acheampong should publicly speak to the authenticity or otherwise of the said advertisement since his office and GYEEDA were specifically mentioned in it,' Mr. Mohammed said.

He urged the sector Minister and the leadership of GYEEDA to make the process for module selection as transparent as it could humanly be when the necessary preconditions were all satisfied and the programme was ready to take off again.

Mr. Mohammed said in addition, the Agency must settle on modules that are less costly but high in utility to tackle the problem of youth employment.

He called on civil society organizations with interest in GYEEDA's restructuring process, transparency and youth employment to speak up and demand immediate retraction of the publication in question.

By Cephas Larbi
 

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