YES Fund To Fail—UGAG Boss

The Operations Director of the under fire pressure group; Unemployed Graduates Association of Ghana (UGAG) believes strongly that the Government of Ghana's initiated Youth Enterprise Support (YES) Fund will fail.

In an exclusive interview with iNewsGhana.Com at his office in Madina, Desmond Bress-Biney stated emphatically that there are many loopholes in the framework of the Fund, citing that even the personalities involved in managing the funds are not eligible.

Talking of the just fired boss of the Fund; Kojo Adu Asare, Desmond questioned the rationale behind his appointment in the first place, saying, “How can you appoint someone who has never been an entrepreneur to handle funds aimed at promoting entrepreneurship? Kojo has not even reared Poultry before, so how do you expect him to motivate the youth to move into such sector when he has no experience in the field at all?” It is good he got fired, but who even replaced him anyway, he quizzed.

Although he lauded the initiative, he expressed worry about the exacerbating increase in mismanagement and abuse of funds especially in state funded initiatives and programs coupled with improper frameworks which have rendered such programs unsustainable over the years. Typical examples of such programs include the Savanna Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) and the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship Development Agenda (GYEEDA), he cited.

Desmond is however proposing that the Fund should be Vocational and Technical professionals focused, and there should be incubator offices for these enterprising youth to start and nature their businesses from, under proper supervision.

Talking of the “improper framework”, the leader of UGAG is asking for a total over hauling in the administrative procedures. 'There should be Regional Offices with competent personnel as managers, and the whole process should be open. It shouldn't only sit in Accra', he said.

He is also cautioning that the funds should be loaned to the youth, instead of the supposed 'gift' to them, because it is only when you know you are going to account for every penny entrusted to you, that you take things serious; and records have proven that, he said categorically.

…As I speak with you now, the YES office is not operating; people are in the office, being paid monthly, but sadly, there are no jobs for them to do. I have sent guys there with their proposals, but asked to go away because they have not commenced work, he said.

He also expressed concern about the number of adverts been run by the fund. Why spend so much mounting billboards, paying for adverts on radio and television, as well as online; facebook, among others, he asked.

YES Fund is good, but there is the need for a more talent-focused perspective which should offer a framework and a rationale for business investment and action, to help create innovative, effective, and sustainable solutions to the challenge of youth un- and under-employment, not just some political gimmicks, Desmond said.