BY ERIC ASARE
Vice President Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has reaffirmed governments commitment to inclusive youth development, calling for stronger inter-ministerial collaboration to ensure that all young people particularly those outside formal education and employment receive adequate support.
She made the call during a working visit to the National Youth Authority (NYA) under the Ministry of Youth and Empowerment, where she engaged management and staff on ongoing programmes and key challenges confronting Ghanas youth sector.
According to the Vice President, the youth remain Ghanas most valuable national resource, noting that with minimal support and the right opportunities, young people can drive innovation, productivity and national development.
The youth of Ghana are very innovative. All they need is a little push, and you will be amazed at what they can do, she said.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang commended the NYA for its deliberate efforts to promote gender inclusion, particularly the achievement of 50 per cent female representation, which exceeds the affirmative action threshold. She noted that young women are often overlooked in youth-focused interventions and praised the Authority for consciously addressing the imbalance.
She stressed that youth-related issues cut across all sectors of the economyincluding education, health, agriculture, industry and security and therefore require coordinated national planning rather than siloed ministerial approaches.
Youth is everywhere. This work is not about territory or ministries; it is about the nation and the well-being of the people, the Vice President stated.
She further urged the Authority to strengthen impact assessment and tracking studies, noting that measuring outcomes is essential for sustaining and scaling up effective youth interventions. Prof. Opoku-Agyemang also highlighted the need for targeted support for marginalised and out-of-school youth, informal workers, and young people vulnerable to drug abuse, mental health challenges and violence.
Touching on labour exchange and migration, she cautioned against the exploitation of young people working both locally and abroad, particularly in domestic employment, and called for stronger protection mechanisms and public education.
We must ensure dignity, safety and respect for every young person, especially those in vulnerable employment situations, she emphasised.
Presenting an overview of the Authoritys work, the Minister for Youth and Empowerment, Hon. George Opare Addo, outlined the NYAs mandate to coordinate youth development policies and programmes for persons aged 15 to 35, while monitoring broader youth-related transitions.
He disclosed that although more than 230,000 young people applied for the National Apprenticeship Programme, funding constraints allowed only 14,000 beneficiaries to be enrolled far below the governments initial target of 100,000 trainees. According to the Minister, achieving the target would require about GHS2.3 billion, leaving a funding gap of nearly GHS2 billion.
Hon. Opare Addo said similar budgetary challenges have affected the Dream Era entrepreneurship programme, where thousands of trained youth have been unable to access start-up capital due to reduced allocations.
He also shared findings from NYA-commissioned research indicating widespread drug and substance abuse among students in secondary and tertiary institutions, with many exposed before the age of 18. Alcohol, cannabis edibles, shisha and prescription drugs were cited as the most commonly used substances.
The Minister further revealed that youth unemployment remains higher among young women and urban youth, while many young people are increasingly trapped in vulnerable and informal employment. He added that research shows about 72 per cent of Ghanaian youth are considering migration, underscoring the urgency of expanding domestic economic opportunities.
To improve coordination and prevent duplication of youth interventions, Hon. Opare Addo said the Ministry and the NYA have launched an AI-powered Youth Explorer platform to track government-supported youth programmes, match skills to job opportunities and enhance transparency across agencies.
He appealed for the Vice Presidents support to secure adequate funding for youth programmes, operationalise existing labour laws to protect domestic workers, and access a World Bank-funded assessment report evaluating youth interventions over the past decade.
Our mandate is simple, he said. To empower, equip and inspire the youth of Ghana.
