Bolga youth sensitised to opportunities in green economy

ActionAid Ghana, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has rolled out a new country strategy paper to expand access to green livelihoods, renewable energy and economic empowerment opportunities.

This will involve support to the youth to engage in agribusiness, agro processing activities, recycling of plastic waste and other materials, rearing of animals, bee keeping and poultry rearing.

The Programme Officer of ActionAid Ghana in the Upper East Region, Yakubu Akuka, who disclosed this, said the remaining support would be in vegetable cultivation, mushroom and snail farming and other eco-friendly businesses, as well as facilitating access to clean energy options by rural households.

Youth seminar

He was speaking during a youth seminar to commemorate this year’s International Youth Day Celebration in Bolgatanga last Friday.

The seminar was aimed at enlightening young people on the importance of green skills and how young people can play active roles in the journey towards green transition and a sustainable world.

It was on the theme: “Green skills for youth: Towards a sustainable world”.

As part of the event, there were presentations on the national green jobs strategy, green skills for green jobs and employment opportunities in the agri-business sector.

Climate crisis

Mr Akuka said the world was threatened by a climate crisis through rising temperatures, floods, drought as well as farmers losing their livelihoods.

He added that “the shift towards an environmentally friendly sustainable and climate-friendly world was critical, not only for responding to the global climate crisis, but also for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.”

He explained that the youth faced unemployment as they did not want to venture into agri-business and entrepreneurship because they lacked employable skills, stressing “if we must tackle this, then we must relook at our education to re-skill the youth towards a green transition.”

Further, he underscored the critical roles the government, civil society organisations and other stakeholders must play in driving the shift towards a green economy.

Climate change real

The Upper East Regional Minister, Stephen Yakubu, said climate change was real and most modern human activities continued to have negative effects on the environment, including soil fertility and water bodies.

He noted “it is in this regard that government is regulating illegal and small-scale mining, tree felling and sand-winning”.

He added that the youth needed to embrace the protection of the environment and eschew negative practices that would deplete the environment.

The Upper East Regional Director of the National Youth Authority, Francis Takyi-Koranteng, who chaired the event, underscored the importance of green skills towards the growth of the society and urged the youth to turn their attention towards the acquisition of green skills.

Writer’s email: gilbert.agbey@graphic.com.gh.