General News of Friday, 21 July 2017
Source: Graphic.com.gh
2017-07-21
Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, Deputy Chief of Staff, speaking to some youth at the conference
A Deputy Chief of Staff, Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, has shared with some youth President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s vision for the country, which he said was “anchored on youth empowerment”.
According to him, the government’s developmental paradigm was hinged on empowering the youth, and that was why the President recently launched the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Plan as an innovative scheme under the Business Development Ministry to help start-ups at the difficult and early stages of setting up.
He added that the commitment of?$10 million of public funds to the scheme and the policies of Planting for Food and Jobs, the One-District, One-Factory and Free senior high school education were all intended to curb unemployment in the country.
He was speaking at the 2017 International Youth Diplomacy Conference launched in Accra yesterday.
The conference afforded the youth from tertiary institutions in the country and those abroad the opportunity to interrogate issues of governance, the economy, foreign policy, the environment and culture.
Youth empowerment
Mr Jinapor said all the policies were geared towards building up a strong youth force for the country.
In addition, the policies were hinged on the strong belief of the government that today’s African was deeply determined not to settle for less.
“This demand of today’s African is virtually widespread across the continent, whether in Accra, Addis Ababa, Cairo, Abidjan or Jubah, the consciousness of the people is at an all-time high,” he said.
Job creation
Mr Jinapor stated that the Planting for Food and Jobs industrialisation which found expression in the One-District,One- Factory arrangement, the free senior high school education were all intended to “curb the debilitating canker of unemployment among the youth in the country”.
He said the government was also working to build a buoyant and resilient economy capable of creating jobs.
“Indeed, it is the vision of the President that Ghana becomes the most business-friendly country on the African continent,” he added.
Challenges
The Executive President of the Osei Kusi Foundation, Dr Kofi Osei-Kusi, said the youth were faced with challenges of unemployment.
He said statistics showed that only about 10 per cent of graduates got employed within the first year of completing university.
Dr Osei-Kusi said another challenge that the youth faced was their lack of integrity, with the complete destruction of the moral fabric of societies.
