As part of the initiatives to create job opportunities for the unemployed youth in the country, government have yet launched another flagship programme, dubbed “You Start Project” and the opening of the Ghana Jobs and skills application portal at a launch in Accra.
The move is geared towards government’s quest to address and respond to the country’s unemployment particularly the youth and create also an enabling environment of working together to introduce policies and programmes that will leverage job openings at a competitive edge.
Speaking at the launch, the Deputy Minister, MSME, Internal Trade and Trade Facilitation, Madam Nana Ama Dokua Asiamah-Adjei said the issue of unemployment is a challenge to many countries across the world, therefore government is putting in place pragmatic measures to create opportunities through investment, education and skills development for the unemployed youth.
According to her, the World Bank on record have indicated that there are about 200 million youth unemployment worldwide and require a total of 600 million jobs for the next 15 years.
“My ministry have identified and targeted specific sectors for support on the basis of export domestic market requirements and increase employment as well as income for the teeming youth”, she noted.
She said the Ghana Jobs and Skills Project (GJSP) is another intervention that adequately prepares the youth to establish their own business entities and take full control over it and explained that the GJSP is a partnership between government and the World Bank and forms part of the government’s preparedness to develop skills and create jobs.
“The intervention will also address post COVID-19 job challenges and the global economic hardships”, she said that there are other of the project that brings to the fore entrepreneurship, starts up grants to beneficiaries such as women’s group, youth and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).
She however expressed her gratitude to stakeholders in the job value chain for their immense support in making the project a reality.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Enterprises Agency, Mrs Kosi Yankey-Ayeh said the Agency under its component will be rolling out entrepreneurship training programmes to 50,000 youth who have the potential to start businesses and will support 5,000 of them with start-up grants.
She said the criteria for the youth selection ranges from 18 to 40 years, minimum education of BECE, willingness to start a business as well as school drop outs in business.
“The World Bank is providing financial and technical support to government for the implementation of the project which has the potential of supporting skills development and job creation for the youth.
“The portal will be opened for a period of 6 weeks after which eligible applicants will be invited for screening and assessments”, said the CEO.
The Deputy Minister of Finance, Dr. John Kumah said the project is aimed at addressing constraints for unemployed youth across the 216 districts of the country and will create million jobs for the youth in the next three years.
He added that government will provide the needed technical support through training entrepreneurship programmes and business management and financial support as working capital, and acquisition of equipments to some selected programmes to drive the project.
Source: Ben LARYEA/Contributor
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