The Minister of Youth Development and Empowerment, George Opare Addo, has described the country’s youth as key partners in nation building.
“At the heart of every tribal nation is a vibrant, empowered and productive youth population. However, the potential does not actualise itself; it requires the dedicated, skilled and emphatic guidance of youth workers,” he said.
Mr Opare, however, observed that although many youth workers in organisations played indispensable roles, they often worked without unified standards or formal recognition.
This was contained in a speech read on behalf of the minister at a Ghana youth work stakeholders dialogue in Accra, on the theme: “Growing the profession of youth work in Ghana.”
The event was organised by the Association of Youth Work Practitioners (AYWP), Ghana, in collaboration with the Commonwealth Alliance of Youth Workers Association (CAYWA).
It also served as relaunch of the AYWP, and featured a panel discussion on the future of youth work, where the participants exchanged ideas on creating professional standards and sustainable career pathways for youth workers.
Regulation
Mr Opare Addo said the National Youth Authority (NYA) had already begun registering and regularising hundreds of youth groups nationwide to provide structured platforms for recognition and development.
The next step, he said, would be to establish professional standards, credentials and career pathways for individual youth workers.
The minister said that professionalisation of youth work was not only desirable, but a directive enshrined in the national youth policy which mandated the creation of a coordinated system for youth development.
“It is a direct instruction from our blueprint. So it sits well with the NYA, and we want to tell you that we are fully endorsing it; we are committed to it,” he added.
Mr Opare Addo urged the participants to consider the dialogue as a platform for transformation, adding that the government would advocate supportive policies, integrate professional youth workers into national programmes, and develop a national database of practitioners.
“Growing this profession of youth workers is synonymous with growing Ghana's future,” he said.
Resilience
The co-Chair of CAYWA and Senior Technical Director of the Jamaica Professional Youth Workers Association, Tanya Powell, said youth work was not only about policy or dialogue but a hands-on practice driven by passion, service and partnership with young people.
Highlighting experiences from the Caribbean, she explained that youth work was treated as “youth development work,” recognising practitioners as vital development actors.
Ms Powell, therefore, urged Ghanaian practitioners to contextualise their professionalisation journey to their culture and history while building sustainable standards, training, and knowledge systems that endured beyond political transitions.
Drawing lessons from Jamaica, where the government’s support was limited but practitioners still filled critical training gaps, she encouraged Ghana’s association to remain resilient, inclusive and committed to preserving the profession’s legacy for future generations.
