Nana Kofi Akantoa, the Amankorahene of Chiraa in the Sunyani West Municipality, has lauded the idea of Former President John Dramani Mahama, the Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), to split the Youth and Sports Ministry when re-elected.
He asked leaders to strategically redefine the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to achieve targeted objectives that could energise the country’s socio-economic development.
Mr Mahama, at an inaugural ceremony of a Youth Wing of the NDC, announced his intention to divide the Ministry of Youth and Sports in his next administration.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani, Nana Akantoa said the proposal should not be a mere talk and asked the party’s leadership to be eager to put it in their manifesto to help address those challenges.
The coupling of youth and sports had undoubtedly created a significant disconnect from the multiplicity of issues affecting young people, which were often viewed through a narrow lens, primarily focusing on sports, he said.
Both the Youth Employment Agency and the Ministry of Employment had failed in tackling youth unemployment since a report by the Ghana Statistical Service on February 25, 2024, stated that the rate of youth unemployment had risen to 14.7 percent, a significant increase from 5.11 percent reported in 2016, the Chief said.
One of the obstacles in addressing youth concerns was the lack of systematic efforts to focus on their issues through deliberate policy interventions by establishing a specific Ministry dedicated to youth concerns.
Nana Akantoa said the 2021 Ghana Population and Housing Census indicated that the youth population in the country was approximately 40 percent, which was growing at an alarming rate.
He said political parties took advantage of those numbers to attract votes, mostly making promises that often amounted to mere propaganda.
The chief, therefore, urged the younger generation to embrace Mr Mahama’s intervention to effectively tackle their challenges.
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