By Godfred A. Polkuu
Bolgatanga, Aug. 28, GNA – ActionAid Ghana, a non-government organisation, says one of the reasons for youth unemployment in the country is their refusal to venture into agri-business and entrepreneurship.
Mr Yakubu Akuka, the Programme Officer of ActionAid Ghana in the Upper East Region, who addressed a youth seminar in Bolgatanga, said young people faced many challenges, and key amongst the challenges was unemployment.
He referred to figures from the Ghana Statistical Service on unemployment estimated at 1.76 million as at the third quarter of 2022.
Mr Akuka further indicated that many young people lacked employable skills, saying “If we must tackle this challenge, then we must relook at our education to reskill the youth towards a green transition.”
The youth seminar, organised by ActionAid Ghana, was part of activities to mark the 2023 International Youth Day which is an annual global celebration intended to bring the issues and challenges of the youth to the attention of government.
This year’s celebration was on the theme: “Green skills for youth: Towards a Sustainable World.”
Participants at the seminar were schooled on the importance of green skills in addressing climate change and employment opportunities in the agri-business sector.
Mr Akuka said the seminar was aimed at enlightening young people on the importance of green skills, and how they could play active roles in the journey towards green transition and a sustainable world.
Per information from the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Programme Officer indicated that green transition would result in the creation of 8.4 million jobs for young people world – wide, by 2030.
“These jobs are called green jobs, he said.”
He explained that they were jobs that contributed to restore the environment either by supporting environmentally friendly processes or through the production of green products and services.
“Young people need to be well-equipped with green skills so that they can successfully navigate this changing environment and leverage the opportunities that it presents,” Mr Akuka added.
He said the importance of green skills could not be overemphasised, especially at the time where global leaders struggled to find lasting solutions to climate change through the green transition agenda which began with shaping the experience of the youth.
The Programme Officer said ActionAid was rolling out a new Country Strategy Paper which had as one of its strategic priorities, to Expand Access to Green Livelihoods, Renewable Energy and Economic Empowerment Opportunities.
He said the NGO would continue to encourage and support the youth to engage in agribusiness, support agro-processing activities, waste recycling of plastics and other materials, animal rearing, beekeeping, vegetable cultivation, mushroom, snail farming, and other eco-friendly businesses, and facilitate rural household access to clean energy options.
Mr Stephen Yakubu, the Upper East Regional Minister, recognised and appreciated the efforts of ActionAid Ghana in the Region, which complemented government’s efforts towards the development of the people in the Region.
He said the concept of Green Skills for Green Jobs was conceived when Ghana became a party to the Paris Agreement on climate change and the United Nations Framework Conventions on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The Minister encouraged the youth in the Region to contact their respective Municipal and District Assemblies and their decentralised partners implementing the Green Job Policy to explore green skills for sustainable development.
GNA