Government's yet-to-be-launched YouStart program, which is supposed to solve Ghana's unemployment problem, has been praised by civil society organizations.
Mr Sherif Ghali, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Young Entrepreneurs, spoke to the media after a one-day sensitization workshop for Civil Society Organizations on the YouStart Programme, held in Accra on Wednesday, June 15, 2022, and said the program is timely and needed at a time when the nation's unemployment numbers are increasing despite several government interventions.
"The government should be praised for taking this brave step; investing GHC 10 million in entrepreneurship over the next three years is big and fantastic news for the many Ghanaian youngsters searching for long-term employment." The number of unemployed people can only be decreased if the private sector is encouraged to develop and generate jobs. "The YouStart initiative, based on its design and structure, will have a major influence on Ghanaian youth, and we look forward to the President launching it," he added.
Mr Sherif Ghali was quick to emphasize, however, that the government must be honest in its management of the program and must not allow it to become another political instrument that benefits a select few.
"This is one of the rare instances that the government has stated the need for feedback from civil society groups before launching a significant flagship initiative like this one; it signals to us that this time the government intends to do things correctly, which is a step in the right direction." However, we will want the government to be honest in how the program is implemented, and we will need to know and identify all of the YouStart initiative's beneficiaries. Unemployment is a big problem in this nation, and programs like these that help young people find work must be open to everybody and transparent," he added.
Dr John Ampontuah Kumah, Deputy Minister of Finance and Member of Parliament for Ejisu, Mr Kofi Ofosu Nkansah, Chief Executive Officer of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme, Mr Kofi Ofosu Nkansah, Madam Kosi Yankey, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Enterprises Agency, Mr John Awuah, President of the Ghana Association of Bankers, Mr John Awuah, and officials
Star Ghana, SENDGhana, Ghana Chamber of Young Entrepreneurs, Centre for Community Livelihood Development, Network of Empowered Youth for Development, Ghana Federation of Disability, African Center For Economic Transformation, Center For Active Learning and Integrated Development, OXFAM, and Institute for Democratic Governance were among the civil society organizations present at the sensitization workshop.
The Electronic Transfer Levy is used to fund YouStart. The President is anticipated to announce the initiative in the coming weeks.
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