Kumasi youth chase jobs at fair in winding queues
Ten Thousand youth in the Ashanti Region have been enrolled on the government's National Apprenticeship Programme (NAP), a flagship initiative under the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment, being implemented by the National Youth Authority (NYA).
Its core mandate is to create structured pathways for young Ghanaians to acquire competency-based, industry-relevant skills that will empower them for gainful employment.
It covers nine broad trade areas that respond directly to the labour market demands of the economy.
These are Agriculture and Agro-processing, Craftsmanship and Artisanal Trades, Mechanical and Electrical Trades, Traditional Crafts, Arts and Creative Trades, Fashion and Textile Trades, Cosmetology, Renewable and Sustainable Energy, Hospitality and Tourism, ICT and Emerging Digital Crafts.
The 10,000 beneficiaries were selected at the climax of a three-day job fair held last Saturday at the Dwaberim of the Centre for National Culture in Kumasi, where thousands of people, especially the youth, came in anticipation of getting job opportunities.
Mostly women, some of them even carried their babies on their backs to the fair, in long winding queues, and with their Ghana Card, patiently looking forward to registering and being enrolled onto the scheme.
Speaking at the matriculation and induction ceremony for the beneficiaries, the Minister for Youth Development and Empowerment, George Opare Addo, said the government could not ignore the realities that confront the nation’s youth.
He said statistics showed that nearly 1.2 million young Ghanaians between the ages of 15 and 35 remained unemployed or underemployed, with thousands more entering the labour market every year, adding that the youth unemployment rate for those aged 15–24 currently stands at approximately 5.4 per cent.
He said, according to The Africa Report, however, when including underemployment and those in insecure informal work, recent estimates placed youth unemployment and underemployment as high as 38.8 per cent, with nearly 70 per cent of employed youth engaged in the informal sector.
Youth empowerment
These, the minister said, were not just numbers, but a clarion call that reminded all that while education was critical, without deliberate skills training and improved market linkages, many young people would continue to struggle to find sustainable livelihoods.
By equipping the youth with practical, industry-aligned skills, Mr Opare Addo said, "We are not only addressing unemployment, but also contributing to Ghana’s attainment of the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure)".
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr Frank Amoakohene, reaffirmed the government’s unwavering commitment to youth empowerment and promote employability and facilitate entrepreneurship.
He said the region, being the largest in terms of number of constituencies, would definitely be given a lion’s share in the sharing of the national cake, and called on residents to have faith in the John Mahama-led government to "reset" the economy.
The Atwima Afrantsohene, Nana Odei Nsiah Akodampa II, who chaired the event, commended the government for empowering the youth through such social intervention programmes.
He advised the beneficiaries to commit to the journey wholeheartedly, adding, “Each of you represents a seed of potential".
