Detailed Statistics On The Youth Of Ghana, A Must For Policy, Planning And Programming

The Foundation for Youth, Peace and Development(F.Y.P.D) wish to appeal to the Population Census unit of the Ghana Statistical Service(GSS) to as a matter of urgency, provide figures on the population of youth in each metropolis, municipal and district so as to guide the local government authorities of the respective areas in planning youth development programmes and related issues, in their respective areas of jurisdiction.

The FYPD is surprised to know that although the National Youth Policy,2010,gives the age bracket of the youth as 15 to 35 years, the on-going District Analytical Report of the 2010 Population Report fails to tell the number of young people in the various local government areas per the given categorisation.

The age groups of 0-4 and 25-29 given by the report does not in any way conform to the definition given by the National Youth policy.

We are convinced that the MMDAs can plan effective youth development programmes only when they are guided by statistics on the youth in their respective areas.

At the National level, the availability of statistics which states all the characteristics of the youth population will help legislators, policy makers, planners and programmers of youth matters to come up with policies and legislations that will address specific concerns of the Ghanaian youth and promote their wellbeing in its entirety.

Indeed,we are convinced that a major factor responsible for the failure of youth development programmes, especially the NYEP/GYEEDA ,is the paucity of statistics to provide basis and guidance for the planning and implementation of such programmes.

We welcome the Youth Employment law as a giant step toward streamlining youth matters in the country and we believe if the issue of statistics is also considered, the nation would have made a huge progress at providing the relevant conditions for youth development programmes to thrive in the country.

JOSEPH TETTEH
Advocate of Youth Right and Peace and Founder,FYPD
0244571090 e-mail:[email protected]