By Philip Tengzu, GNA
Wa, (UW/R), May 25, GNA – A nationwide survey conducted by the Youth Placement for Employability Solutions (Y-PES Ghana) has revealed that over 91 per cent of young people in Ghana are unaware of the existence of the National Youth Policy, almost five years after its launch.
The survey, which took nearly one year to complete, also showed that only 8.8 per cent of the participants said they knew about the policy document.
It sampled about 2,000 young people from all 16 regions of Ghana, comprising 54 per cent males and 46 per cent females.
Mr Mumuni Sulemanna, the Executive Director of Y-PES Ghana, disclosed this during a leadership training programme organised for Senior High School (SHS) and Basic School prefects.
The programme, organised by the Y-PES Ghana, brought together prefects from the Wa SHS, Wa Secondary Technical and Jamiat Islamic Girls SHSs, St Francis Xavier Minor Seminary, and Senior Victory College, a basic school, to develop their leadership qualities to become ambassadors of the policy.
He explained that the survey, which sought to identify how many youths were aware of the existence of the policy, adopted a Google questionnaire to enable youths from diverse backgrounds to participate.
He expressed concern about the low level of interest among the youth in understanding policies and programmes intended to shape their future and improve their welfare.
“The teeming youth of Ghana are completely ignorant of their rights, not privileges, because what the youth policy really brings to them is a right, and they are supposed to hold duty bearers accountable for implementing the policy”, he explained.
Mr Sulemanna, therefore, called on the National Youth Authority (NYA) and the National Commission for Civic Education to intensify education and sensitisation campaigns on the policy to ensure that many youth become informed and actively involved in national development.
He also appealed to the government to release the five per cent allocation from the District Assemblies Common Fund earmarked for the NYA to support youth-focused initiatives.
The youth development advocate observed that the use of NYA funds for the construction of Youth Resource Centres was a misplaced priority since that was the responsibility of the National Sports Authority
He said that was because the Youth Resource Centres had more facilities for sports and could not support the development of the full potential of youth, leaving most of them at the mercy of the weather.
He said the NYA should focus on policies and programmes that build the skills, leadership capacities, entrepreneurship abilities, and overall potential of the youth.
Some participants at the engagement expressed gratitude to the Y-PES Ghana for exposing them to the policy and building their leadership skills.
They, however, expressed concern over the level of ignorance among the youth regarding the policy designed to address their development needs.
Madi Latifatu, the Girls’ Prefect of Wa SHS, said as youth, they needed to know what the government had put in place for their development and to hold the government accountable for it.
Also, Shadrach Mwintir Dery Uunezume, the School Prefect of St. Francis Xavier Minor Seminary, suggested that copies of the policy should be made available to SHS students to enhance their knowledge and understanding of the document.
GNA
Edited by Benjamin Mensah
Reporter: Philip Tengzu
[email protected]