The  Youth Employment Agency:A Quick Look  At Some Operational  Challenges

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The coming into being of the Youth Employment Act,2015,Act 887 as a legal framework for youth employment programmes in Ghana brought a great deal of relief to youth development workers,the youth themselves and the general public in view of the lost of huge resources under the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) and the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development (GYEEDA) which fundamentally operated without such frameworks.

The effort of the nation’s legislators in providing the framework on a matter as important as youth employment is indeed commendable.

This notwithstanding, it has been observed since the start of its work that some operational challenges are beginning to erode the confidence that Ghanaians had in the Agency.

First and foremost , although section 31 of the Act Speak of establishment of District committees comprising a person with relevant knowledge and expertise in skills training and human resource development as chairperson, the District LabourOfficer, District Director of the Agency and the District Co-ordinator of the National Youth Authority as members, and with the responsibility of implementing policies of the Agency in the District,among other things,FYPDs search indicates that the committees are still not in place in most Districts.

The situation, according to the search has deprived the Agency of the required level of transparency, inclusiveness and competitiveness as regards selecting the most qualified youth into the respective modules.

In terms of sources of funds for the Agency,the ten percent of the District Assemblies common fund mentioned in the Act seem not to have taken effect as most District Directors do not have any idea about it.

MMDAs have in the interim, been supporting the activities of the YEA with varying amounts of money of their Internally Generated Funds on account of delays in disbursement of the District Assemblies Common Fund,and possibly unavailability of an approved formula by parliament for disbursing the funds as stated by article 252 of the 1992 constitution.

The implication of the situation mentioned in the above is that activities of the Agency in MMDAs which do not generate enough funds internally will face some difficulties,and therefore place young people in such Districts in a disadvantaged position.

Additionally, Ghanaians do not see the difference between NYEP/GYEEDA and the YEA.The youth in particular are therefore not showing interest in the activities of the agency because of fears that it will end up like the previous programmes

The near absence of public education on YEA Law and the low level of publicity on the recruitment exercise particularly,through the use of electronic and print media on the agency itself and the recruitment process, largely account for this state of affairs.

What this means is that many qualified young Ghanaians are not been captured by the programme. It is also means absence of competition and the greater likelihood of youth from the same group or area taking all the opportunities.

The Agency must as a matter of urgency take steps to address these challenges in order to make the recruitment exercise attractive to the youth.

JOSEPH TETTEH
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
FOUNDATION FOR YOUTH,PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT(FYPD)
0244571090. E-MAIL:[email protected]