Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), Kofi Baah Agyepong, has revealed that the agency has exceeded its 2023 youth employment projection by 16 percent.
As of May 2023, the Agency has engaged 84,483 youths who are working and contributing to various sectors of the economy, exceeding its projection of 71,500 youth engagements across its programmes.
Speaking at the launch of the Youth Employment Agency’s Garment and Apparel Module in Kumasi, he said the organisation had been inspired by the President’s goal of creating sustainable employment opportunities for young people by making sure the majority of them benefited from the agency’s various programmes.
In support of this, he mentioned that the YEA has been successful in securing the services of 6,000 community health workers, 15,000 community protection assistants, 1,500 prison service assistants, and 800 artisans for the INZAG project.
“We still have 45,000 beneficiaries of the youth in Sanitation Module; recruitment of 4,000 farm workers for the Afarinick Cocoa Rehabilitation Programme; recruitment of 6,000 insurance agents; and the creation of over 11,000 employment opportunities through the YEA’s Job Centre,” he said.
According to Mr Agyepong, in order to provide training for Ghanaian youth, the YEA has partnered with other government organisations, including the National Labour Commission, Ghana Library Authority, Accra Digital Centre, and Building and Road Research Institute of the CSIR.
He also explained the garment and textile sector is important to Ghana’s economy because it generates export income, creates jobs, and helps to preserve the country’s culture.
Explaining further, he said the Module’s ultimate goal is to promote growth and development in order to close skill gaps and provide young people interested in dressmaking or tailoring with sustainable employment opportunities.
He said the module has been carefully created to give beneficiaries the chance to receive in-depth knowledge and practical training in various aspects of dressmaking and tailoring, including fabric selection, cutting techniques, sewing, garment construction, pattern making, and alterations.
YEA will support about 40 large garment companies with between GH₵100,000 and GH₵200,000 each, he said.
“The Agency will also support 500 micro/small scale seamstresses and tailors with GH₵10,000 each to enable them train the beneficiaries. The beneficiaries will also be provided with monthly stipends throughout the period of their training,” he added.
According to him, YEA has surpassed its set targets and is poised to introduce other innovative ideas by creating an additional 31,600 job opportunities for the youth of Ghana in 2023. “But we cannot do this without additional funding.”
Speaking at the ceremony, the Chief of Staff at the Office of the President, Madam Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, stated that the government is still committed to youth employment interventions through the introduction of policies intended to provide skills, which are essential for sustained development and productivity growth.
According to her, the government’s key initiatives to improve lives include the Free SHS policy, the Free TVET intervention, and the numerous business support programmes available to young entrepreneurs and start-up businesses nationwide.
“Under this module, 500 small-scale seamstresses and tailors – as well as 15 large-scale garment and apparel manufacturers, will benefit from financial support provided by the Agency to aid them scale up their operations,” she said.
The Chief of Staff urged every master-craftsman in the Garment and Apparel Module to show a strong commitment by giving all beneficiaries top-notch technical skill transfers and an acceptable corporate culture that all beneficiaries could imitate.
The YEA was established under the Youth Employment Act 2015 (Act 887), to oversee the development, coordination, supervision and facilitation of employment for the youth and related matters in Ghana.