YEA to support 5,000 youth in entrepreneurship and skills empowerment

The Youth Employment Agency (YEA) is set to support 5,000 Ghanaian youth with recruitment and training in entrepreneurship and skills empowerment programs in line with its mandate to address the unemployment challenges facing the youth of Ghana.

In addition to providing such support to the youth desirous of self- employment, the YEA in collaboration with the National Entrepreneurial and Innovative Plan (NEIP) will help them with seed money to start up their businesses.

Chief Executive Officer of YEA, Lawyer Justin Kodua Frimpong, disclosed this in his address at the official Launch of the YEA/UNIJAY Garment Manufacturing Module in Kumasi on Friday 2nd July 2021.

The launch was a sequel to the official commissioning of the YEA/UNIJAY Garment Training Centre last year to prepare for the roll out the Garment Manufacturing Module (GMM).

Following the commissioning of the Centre an estimated number of 400 beneficiary trainees have been engaged for a six-month intensive training skills in material cutting, knitting and the rudiments of industrial sewing for future export.

The CEO said the launch was in line with vision of His Excellency the President, and a testimony of his resolve to solve unemployment menace among the youth.

He announced that the beneficiaries would start receiving monthly allowance of Ghc400 each for the duration of their six- month training with a further assurance that the Agency would,in future, consider to increase the number of beneficiary trainees from 400 to 1000 apprentices.

He assured that the Agency was ready to assist financially with initiatives geared towards creating jobs and employment opportunities for the youth in all sectors of the economy.

Lawyer Justin Kodua Frimpong also revealed that the Agency plans to open a National Zonal Office and Skills Training Centre in Kumasi to meet the services of people from the Middle and the Northern Belts of the country in the area of skill development and training.

The CEO of UNIJAY explained the detailed and comprehensive training that the beneficiaries are being given with target in industrial sewing to venture into export in the near future.

According to her, the trainees are currently engaged in large scale dressmaking for Senior High Schools SHS in Ashanti and the Northern regions.

The Member of Parliament for Asokwa Constituency where UNIJAY is located, Honorable Patricia Appiagyei was full of joy for the 400 jobs created in the Asokwa Municipality and the potential ones to be created.

She commended YEA and UNIJAY and urged them to replicate this in other parts of the country.

The collaboration is in response to the President's 1District 1Factory (1D1F I) initiative introduced by the government to create jobs and employment opportunities for the youth.