Youth and Sports Minister Isaac Asiamah
The Minister of Youth and Sports, Isaac Kwame Asiamah, has charged the youth of the country to channel their energies into productive matters, especially as the nation prepares for the upcoming December 7 presidential and parliamentary elections.
“We want the youth of this country to use their energies purposely, productively and wisely. They shouldn’t succumb to the wiles of any politician or political party to cause any misunderstanding or mayhem in this country,” the Minister advised in a speech read for him.
The occasion was the media launch of the 2020 International Youth Day, organised by the National Youth Authority (NYA).
He announced that his ministry is in the final phase of reviewing the current available material for the National Youth Policy, which is expected to span 10 years (2021-2031).
According to the Minister, the current policy is archaic, hence the need for a relevant one that will meet the aspirations of the youth.
The current document is said to contain policies that will help meet the needs of the teeming youth in the country as well as implementation plans to their effect.
According to the Minister, a roadshow involving over 5,000 young people across the regions was organised through which young individuals were able to share their input on seven thematic areas of the various sectors of the economy.
“There are a lot of things young people are talking of, including health, all-inclusiveness, good governance, leadership and participation of young people in democracy as well as issues related to all facets of the development in our country. Therefore, we want to see action and in this document we have added an implementation plan so that it will not just be a policy without action,” he said.
Mr Asiamah further revealed that the document, when completed and launched, will contain policies “every well-meaning Ghanaian will embrace”, adding that the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) has made an invaluable contribution in it.
“This shows the commitment of the government to matters affecting the youth of this country,” he added.
Youth resource centres
The Youth and Sports Minister is confident that the new National Youth Policy and the various policies of the government will contribute in changing the lives of the youth and meeting their challenges.
The Minister disclosed that, through the NYA the, government is currently constructing 10 multi-purpose resource centres across 10 regions of the country.
The resource centres, which are not only for sporting activities, are located in Wa, Yendi, Navrongo, Dormaa-Ahenkro, Ho, Koforidua, among other places.
“As the name connotes, there are other facilities within the stadia, purposely to make sure that the youth of this country are really capacitated and given all the opportunities to unearth their talents,” he said.
International Youth Day
Taking his turn at the event, the Chief Executive of the NYA, Mr Sylvester Tetteh, said the International Youth Day, which is celebrated annually on August 12, will be under the sub-theme, “Promoting Youth Engagement: Mitigating the impact of COVID-19, the need for Youth Innovation and Creation.”
According to him, the local theme was developed to encourage the youth to be at the forefront of the efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19.
He said the Authority will engage the youth in dialogues and seminars on four thematic areas, namely education, job, business and entrepreneurship, hospitality and entertainment as well as governance.
Mr Tetteh said, in the coming days, the activities for the nationwide programme will be announced, adding that it will involve persons with disability, artisans and other vulnerable groups.
The global theme for the International Youth Day is “Youth Engagement for Global Action.”
