GLOMEF Raises Concerns Over Growing Unemployment

The Founder/CEO of Global Media Foundation (GLOMEF), Raphael Godlove Ahenu Jr, has noted that youth unemployment is a serious problem that needs radical government intervention as well as intervention by other stakeholders such as cooperating partners, NGOs and business entities.

He therefore stressed the need for Metropolitan, Municipal District Assemblies to collaborate with Civil Societies to put in place down-to-earth interventions to would help equip the teaming unemployed youth with vocational skills and resources to enable them established their businesses.

This, according to him, will help drastically reduce the unemployment situation in the country as well as reduce reliance on government for employment opportunities.

The CEO of GLOMEF was speaking at the inauguration of the Kwatire-Adantia Youth in Action (KAYIA), a youth group at Kwatire in the Sunyani West District in the Brong-Ahafo region.

The main aim of the Association is to equip and upgrade the skills of the youth and women in the area with vocational skills such as hairdressing, tailoring, fashion design and ICT, among others.

Mr. Ahenu Jr noted that youth unemployment is a major challenge facing youth in Ghana in particular and the world as whole. The CEO therefore challenged world leaders especially those in Africa to come out with measures that will create more avenues for the youth to develop their potentials.

The President of the Kwatire-Adantia Youth Association, Bernard Oduro Takyi, said a survey conducted by the leadership of KAYIA on youth unemployment in the two communities revealed that about 70% to 80% of the youth and women in the area are unemployed.

According to Mr. Oduro Takyi, sustainable means of livelihood for women and youth is the surest way eradicating extreme poverty.

He noted that in order to sustain and create the need market base for the association, his outfit is pursuing sustainable partnership with LESDEP, MASLOC, Ministry of Youth and Sports as well as District, Municipal and Metropolitan Assemblies and other like minded NGOs.

Mr Oduro Takyi mentioned fashion design, gari and food processing, grass utter rearing, mushroom farming, poultry and fish farming as some of the projects the Association will tackled.

The DCE for Sunyani West, Mrs Agnes Kusi, in a speech said Youth unemployment in Ghana now is a veritable social time bomb waiting to detonate.

According to her, there are certain sectors which can create vast business opportunities and vistas for the youth. These, Mrs Kusi mentioned include agro-based industries, the transportation sector, and tourism and the hospitality industry, personal services such as tailoring, beauty care and hairdressing, among others.

The DCE assured the KAYIA that the Assembly will support them to ensure that the vision of the association is well executed.