GHANA- Thursday, July 30, 2020/ https://africanpostonline.com/–The Rebecca Foundation in partnership with the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) and Master Card Foundation have launched the “Young Africa Works” initiative.
The project seeks to increase opportunities for young people by creating fulfilling and dignified jobs. The project which commenced on Wednesday, July 29, 2020 is targeted at graduate youth, out if school youth, school dropouts and women owned led micro, small and medium enterprises. The project will last over a three-year period.
Speaking at the launch, the First Lady, Mrs Rebecca Akuffo-Addo noted that although government have put in measures to curb the menace, youth unemployment still remains a canker in the country. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), the unemployment rate in Ghana was around 69 percent as of the end of 2019.
The First Lady further noted that, this position is unacceptable thus, the need for strategic measures and policies that take youth development and integration into consideration.
She also said that, youth unemployment has the potential to create serious social consequences and can lead to social exclusion and unrest.
Mrs Akuffo-Addo then called on the private sector and other bodies to partner government to support youth employment and entrepreneurship.
She again urged traditional, religious and community leaders to rally behind the NBSSI/Mastercard Foundation initiative, to enable the youth step into the new future, where their individual and collective contribution will transform Ghana.
The Executive Director of the NBSSI, Kosi Yankey-Ayeh, on her part, was optimistic the partnership would solve one of the country’s challenges which is unemployment.
“This partnership and funding is to support women and the youth and over 80 to 90 per cent of it will go into funding and supporting the programme.
“Many a time, most programmes just support the administrative purposes, but in this case, there is an intentional purpose to ensure that all the funds will go into supporting and helping the youth of this country to do better,” she said.
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I’m Deborah Aba Narkoah. I’m an avid reader, writer and public speaker.
