The National Youth Authority (NYA) has held a stakeholder engagement with various youth groups on the implementation of the YouStartprogramme.
In collaboration with the YouStart Secretariat and the Finance Ministry, the open forum held in Accra last Thursday created awareness and acceptability of the programme, while educating the youth on how to access support under the initiative, ahead of the launch.
The stakeholder consultation afforded participants the opportunity to ask teething questions about the initiative.
The Chronicle observed a trend during the open forum. Most of the participants sounded positive about the programme but had no hope in its implementation, owing to precedence.
Examples were cited to the organisers about the failure of similar initiatives to live up to expectation as some fund managers allegedly engage in bureaucracies to frustrate the plan.
Regardless, representatives of the NYA, the Finance Ministry and the YouStart Secretariat had responded to every question and assured that the YouStart would leave to expectation.
Meanwhile, potential beneficiaries were told that they could access the funds individually, or as a group. As individual, one can access about GH₡50,000 with flexible payment terms, after a year or two.
However, business groups with minimum membership of 10 could access, but must be ready to allow to be trained.
The training, which will be a pre-requisite for all beneficiaries, is intended to support them to put the funds to proper use for the intended returns on the investment.
CONTRIBUTE
Welcoming participants to the stakeholder engagement, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Pius Enam Hadzide, led the youth to sing a known youth anthem titled ‘Arise Ghana Youth’, to remind them that the nation demanded their devotion.
According to him, the youth is the present and future of the country, the more reason they should contribute to develop the nation.
The CEO, whose address opened the programme, during which he encouraged the youth not to be timid but speak up their minds, perhaps culminated in the open and frank dialogue.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP DRIVE
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), Kofi Ofosu Nkansah told the youth that the Akufo-Addo government was on cause in its entrepreneurship drive.
He took time, as the sector agency, for the implementation of the YouStart, to educate the youth groups that had gathered.
Meanwhile, concluding his remarks which preceded the open forum, the NEIP CEO reminded all potential beneficiaries that proceeds from the famous electronic transaction levy is what will aid them.
TVET
In a remark delivered on her behalf, the Director General of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Services, MawusiNudekorAwitty, disclosed that the looming unemployment challenges had refocused educational agenda to skills acquisition.
According to him, the government, working through her outfit, was poised to deal with the skills gap making the youth unemployable.She stated that over the years, the number of institutions undertaking TVET services had increased to 248.
EXPECTATION
The youth entrepreneurship and start-up grants are expected to culminate into job creation, job sustainability, business innovation and growth for enterprises owned by the youth in the country, leading to the reduction of social vices due mainly to unemployment amongst the youth.
