Non- Representation Of Youth Ministry In Cabinet Is Not Helpful To Ghana’s Development Efforts

The Foundation for Youth, Peace and Development (FYPD), a member of the Ghana Youth Development Enhancement Project(GYDEP) is convinced that exclusion of the Youth Ministry from the Cabinet of His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is not in the interest of the developmental efforts of the Nation.

At a moment when Ghana’s population profile is highly characterized by a bulging population of children and Youth, with a significant percentage of them out of school or without any skill, exclusion of the afore-mentioned sector Ministries from any level of the decision making process is most expected to have adverse implications for the over all development of the nation.

The seriousness of the situation is made clearer by signals from the International Community such as the World Population Report which recommends among other things; that the bulging Youth Population of Sub-Saharan African Countries and for that matter Ghana have the potential of becoming the driving force of their economic transformation if effectively harnessed by the decision makers of such nations.

The Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Financing for Sustainable Developments(ICEFSD) also recommends sufficient budgetary allocations to youth development actions and intensification of skill training among young people and other important recommendations as the best option for Ghana in the post 2015 era.

Clearly therefore, institutions responsible for policies and programmes on youth matters ought to be the foremost institutions of Government machinery and particularly, Cabinet, which is the highest decision making body of Government.

Joseph Tetteh (Executive Director) Foundation for Youth,Peace and Development(FYPD) (A member of the GYDEP Coalition) e-mail:jtojoet@yahoo.ca phone:0244571090