A/R:YEA launches youth in garment and apparel module to support 2000 Ghanaian youth
The Government through Youth and Employment Agency has launched garment and apparel training employment programme to help bridge unemployment rate in the country.
The garment and apparel module will train 2000 Ghanaian youth to be self-employed at zero cost.
500 small scale sintreses and tailors as well as 15 garment and apparel manufacturers will also be assisted with financial support to scale up their business.
Chief of Staff Madam Frema Opare, a guest speaker for the programme in her keynote address indicated that beneficiaries after the completion of the training will be provided neccesasry start up tools to enable them to start up their own enterprises to make meaningful livelihoods.
She admonished master craftsmen who have been contracted to train the beneficiaries to demonstrate full commitment to teaching the Ghanaian youth.
The Chief Executive officer for Youth and employment Mr Kofi Baah Agyepong, has appealed to the government to increase its annual budget for the agency to roll out more youth-centred programmes to create jobs in Ghana.
He stated that the YEA’s source of funding was capped at 67.6% in 2022 during the global economic meltdown leaving Ghana’s economy in a turbulent state. In 2023, it was capped at 44%, that is, 23.6% below the previous year.
Mr Agyepong said, in spite of the cut in funding, the YEA under his leadership still exceeded its 2023 projections by 18%.
“I must place on record that for 2023, the Agency projected to engage 71,500 youths throughout its programmes. I am delighted to announce that as of May 2023, the Agency has engaged 84,483 youths who are working and contributing to various sectors of the economy. This means that, the Agency has already exceeded its 2023 projections by 18%,” the YEA chief executive stated.
He added: “The YEA… is poised to introduce other innovative ideas by creating additional 31,600 job opportunities for the youth of Ghana in 2023. But we cannot do this without additional funding.
Under the one year tenure of Agyepong, the YEA has been able to recruit 6,000 Community Health Workers; recruitment of 15,000 Community Protection Assistants; recruitment of 1,500 Prisons Service Assistants; recruitment of 800 artisans for the INZAG Project; we still have the 45,000 beneficiaries for the youth in Sanitation Module, recruitment of 4,000 farm workers for the Afarinick Cocoa rehabilitation Programme; recruitment of 6,000 insurance agents, creation of over 11,000 employment opportunities through the YEA’s Job Centre.
The YEA has also collaborated with other state institutions like the Building and Road Research Institute of the CSIR to train 1,000 youth in modern building technology, the Ghana Library Authority to train young entrepreneurs across the country under the Entrepreneurship Re-imagined Programme, the Accra Digital Centre to provide ICT training for 2,000 youth in ICT, collaboration with National Labour Commission to sensitise the youth on labour- related issues and collaboration with the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP) to train 5000 young Entrepreneurs (Trade and Vocation). All these collaborations were fully funded by the YEA.
The Minister for Employment Hon Ignatius Baffour Awuah touted some the achievements of the government under YEA which is helping providing employment for the youth.
He further urged Ghanaians to patronise made in Ghana goods especially the traditional and African wear to sustain the YEA garment and apparel promamme.
