STAKEHOLDERS REVIEW STATE OF YOUTH DEVELOPMENT REPORT

Mrs Mary Mpereh, Focal Person for Gender, Population and Social Policy at the National Development Planning Commission, has commended the development of a report on the youth in Ghana. The report, she said, offered a rich source for identifying topical issues of youth development.
Mrs Mpereh said the report would help facilitate a continuous dialogue on youth issues in Ghana. She made the comments at a forum organised by the National Youth Authority (NYA) to review a report dubbed: “State of Youth Development”.
The Report commissioned by the National Youth Authority with the support of the Commonwealth Secretariat shed light on the state of youth development in Ghana.
The report was commissioned following the review of the National Youth Authority Act in 2010
Professor Olivia Kwapong, Acting Dean, School of Continuing Distance Education, University of Ghana, said the report was a good start to prioritizing youth issues in Ghana.
She called for regular update of report on youth development to track the progress of the youth.
“We need to budget for this as a nation and form a consortium that will bring on board diverse expertise on youth issues,” she said.
Prof Kwapong also pointed out the need to amplify the voice of the Ghanaian youth in such reports instead of depending on foreign sources of data, saying, “We need to own the narrative.”
She also advised the National Youth Authority to inculcate the spirit of volunteerism in the youth.
Dr Michael Boampong, the Consultant, who developed the report, said, the document was just an indication of the state of youth development in Ghana
He said it was important to improve education and promote viable opportunities for the youth.
“Developing the capabilities of young people is more than simple investment, it demands recognition of youth as valuable assets and equal partners,” he said, adding that youth issues must be mainstreamed across all sectors and development policies.
Mr Nelson Owusu-Ansah, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Authority, hinted that the Authority will soon launch a  volunteering programme for the youth in Ghana.
He expressed concern about the fragmented nature in which youth policies are implemented giving examples that “Sometimes, we are     doing something and the National Youth Employment Programme is doing a similar thing, as well as the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme also pursuing a similar thing.”
Mr Owusu-Ansah called for coordination between the different agencies and sectors pursuing youth agenda, saying the National Youth Authority was poised to bring the issues of the youth at the forefront of the development dialogue.
Mr. Sylvester Matthew Tetteh, Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Authority, said the document would serve as a baseline report  for youth development in Ghana.
He expressed gratitude to the Commonwealth secretariat and all the stakeholders for the review.