YEA CEO Reports Thousands of Youth Jobs and Higher Allowances
The Chief Executive Officer of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), Malik Basintale, has praised past executives of the Agency for their contributions to youth employment while highlighting progress in recruitment, improved allowances and the timely payment of beneficiaries.
He made the remarks during a familiarisation tour of the Upper East Region, where he reflected on the Agency’s achievements and acknowledged the collective efforts of successive leaders and stakeholders in advancing its mandate.
Mr. Basintale described the YEA as a key institution in Ghana’s efforts to tackle youth unemployment, noting that its various employment modules had created opportunities for thousands of young people across the country.
“The reason why we are here today is to remind ourselves of the collective successes we have chalked up together and the journey we have walked together,” he said.
He outlined several interventions implemented by the Agency, including community policing, community fire services, prison services, community medical first responders, the Zongo empowerment programme and the labour exchange initiative.
According to him, the Agency had undertaken more than 12,000 recruitments under the community policing module, while approximately 5,000 beneficiaries had been engaged in community fire services and more than 5,000 in prison services.
He added that about 6,000 young people had been recruited under the community medical first responders programme, with another 6,000 engaged through the Zongo empowerment initiative in collaboration with Arabic institutions.
The YEA CEO said the scale of the interventions demonstrated the Agency’s role in providing employment opportunities and supporting the livelihoods of young people.
“If we decide to withdraw all our beneficiaries, trust me, more than a hundred thousand young people will become unemployed,” he stated.
Beyond job creation, Mr. Basintale highlighted improvements in the financial conditions of beneficiaries, particularly the increase in monthly allowances for community police personnel.
He disclosed that the monthly allowance for community police beneficiaries had been increased from GH¢500 to GH¢800, representing a 60 per cent rise.
“When I took office, community police were taking GH¢500. We had to push the necessary boundaries to ensure that we increased beneficiaries’ allowances. It is not absolute, but it is better than before,” he said.
He explained that the adjustment was intended to ease some of the financial pressures confronting beneficiaries as they performed their duties.
Mr Basintale also cited improvements in the payment of allowances, saying the Agency had taken steps to address longstanding delays that previously left some beneficiaries waiting for six months, seven months or even a year to receive their entitlements.
“In the past, beneficiaries’ allowances were delayed for six months, seven months and sometimes even one year. Today, I can confidently say that we are not owing YEA beneficiaries,” he stated.
He maintained that the Agency’s responsibility extended beyond recruitment to ensuring that beneficiaries received better treatment and worked under improved conditions.
The CEO expressed appreciation to former executives and other stakeholders whose contributions had helped strengthen the Agency, stressing the importance of collective efforts in sustaining its achievements.
The Upper East Region tour forms part of his engagements with the Agency’s regional structures and stakeholders to assess its operations, acknowledge past contributions and reinforce efforts to expand youth employment opportunities.
Source: Joseph Napoleon Anaaya
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