Accra, May 31, GNA – Dr John Ampontuah Kumah, a Deputy Minister of Finance, has urged the youth to take advantage of the YouStart programme to access capital and funding to implement innovative and enterprising business ideas.
He, therefore, called on regional ministers, metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs) to rally the youth to be enrolled onto the programme.
The Deputy Minister gave the advice in Tamale when he engaged some government institutions, regional ministers and MMDCEs as part of the nationwide stakeholder engagement on the programme on Monday.
He noted that out of the 31 million population, about 11 million are young people between 15 and 35 years, hence the importance to invest in them to propel the future development of the nation.
Through the E-levy, the Government could mobilise some one billion Ghana cedis to invest in the job-creation potentials of the youth, this year, as well as other commitments made by the development partners and some banks, Mr Kumah said.
“And so every government institution has an obligation to rally the youth for the YouStart programme.”
Mr Kumah charged the youth to own it as it was a direct investment in the future of the country.
The YouStart programme is for every Ghanaian youth who has a business idea and needs training and funding to implement it.
It will be funded with revenues expected to be generated by the Electronic Transaction Levy.
The stakeholder engagement was attended by government officials, and metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives from the Upper West, Upper East, North East and Northern regions.
GNA