‘New look’ GYEEDA will employ about 100,000 youth – Minister

About 100,000 of the nation’s unemployed youth could be employed under the reviewed Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency, (GYEEDA), the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Haruna Iddrisu has said.

[contextly_sidebar id=”aAPavuTgtl0ubUemadAwS6QYY85epBlB”]The Minister made this announcement at a workshop in Tamale in the Northern Region under the theme, “Transition from GYEEDA to YEA: the way forward.”

The GYEEDA bill is currently before Parliament for debate but the Minority has vehemently opposed its passage arguing that monies that were “embezzled” under the programme have still not been collected.

They also said persons who have been accused of corruption are yet to be prosecuted.

The Tamale South Legislator gave the assurance that premium will be placed on the vulnerable groups during the recruitment exercise.

According to him, remuneration for the new recruits will be determined in accordance with the new minimum wage.

“Nobody, no young person to be recruited under the youth employment must receive any compensation below the acceptable minimum wage.”

Haruna Iddrisu said government considered the nation’s soaring youth unemployment rate as a national security threat, hence the move to find a lasting to the problem.

He reiterated government’s determination to adopt multifaceted interventions to sustain the programme as a means of achieving the purpose for which it was established.

Responding to some of the concerns from those who have called for complete overhaul of the system, Haruna Iddrisu at the retreat in Tamale said in 2013, government terminated the appointments of all beneficiaries of the GYEEDA.

He explained that the termination of the contracts formed part of government’s agenda to effectively re-launch the programme which will be rebranded as YEA. 

Citi News has gathered that some beneficiaries of the sanitation module have been absorbed by waste management company Zoomlion.

The Ghana Police Service has also engaged some of those who were under the community Policing unit to assist personnel of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department on the roads.

According to him, new modules including youth in textiles will be introduced to avert the increasing youth unemployment challenges the country is bedeviled with.

The Minister also said the sanitation module will account for 50% of the new recruitments to sustain the National Sanitation Exercise.

He revealed government’s intent to increase the percentage of the communications service tax meant for the programme.

The Employment and Labour Relations Minister said government considered the District Assemblies Common Fund and a review of the Petroleum Revenue Management Act as other alternative sources of funding the YEA programme.

Haruna Iddrisu recalled the alleged financial malfeasance uncovered at the former GYEEDA national secretariat and hinted government’s steadfastness to prosecute all those found culpable.

“It is true that in the operations of youth employment through 2006 to 2014, some of its processes and systems were abused culminating in that investigation into the operations of GYEEDA: let me here say that we will implement the letter and religiously all the recommendations of the GYEEDA Review Committee,” he said.

Mr. Iddrisu als added that “We will allow for open transparency and competitive bidding processes to ensure value for money,” he remarked. He thus cautioned the regional Coordinators against abusing the integrity of any of the initiatives. To all the regional Coordinators, I will fail in my responsibility if I do not state that you need to support the Chief Executive to succeed: I have no hesitation discussing it that if we have a situation where one person stood in the position of more than one persons for purposes of youth employment and it amounted to a national denial of some other persons such practice will not be tolerated.”

On his part, the acting Chief Executive Officer of the GYEEDA Kwabena Owusu Acheampong called for consensus building on the policy framework.

He advocated a bipartisan approach to the achievement of the programme.

Vice Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on youth development, Joseph Nikpe admonished management of the programme to avoid financial leakages.

The Saboba Member of Parliament said all Legislators were desirous of sustaining the youth employment programme.

He anticipated that legalizing the programme and making it more robust will reduce youth unemployment in their constituencies.

Northern and Upper East Regional Coordinators of the programme, Alhaji Adam Mohammed Amin Abio and Kopanamo James Kojo pledged their commitment to operate in line with the new legal framework.

They both admitted that some of the modules were abused largely because of lack of institutionalization of the then GYEEDA programme.

They promised to ensure value for money during the implementation of the new modules.

By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana