SOCIAL: Better Gh agenda was thought of more than 3yrs - NYA

Late Prez Mills

This was the vision of His Excellency, the Late President, John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills, for the youth of Ghana.

As we celebrate International Youth Day 2012, under the International theme: BUILDING A BETTER WORLD, PARTNERING WITH THE YOUTH, we hope the youth recognize the visionary that His Excellency John Evans Atta Mills was.
His vision to build a Better Ghana was thought of more than 3 years ago.

A Better Ghana where our Youth would be empowered. It was under his tenure that the National Youth Policy of Ghana was launched, the Africa Youth Charter ratified and the creation of a clause specifically for youth empowerment and development in the national constitution through the acceptance and issuance of a white paper on the report of the Constitution Review Commission.

The youth of this generation the world over, belong to the largest demographic and as a result are confronted with numerous challenges. While some are bereft of opportunities to harness their God-given potential to contribute to the development of their communities others are confronted with limited educational opportunities, health problems among others. 

World youth unemployment is rife, even for the highly educated. Participation at the political, social, and developmental level of society is minimal. This has led to disillusion and disappointment and in some cases, as was witnessed during the "Arab Spring", unrest.

It is for this reason that the government under the leadership of President J.E.A. Mills formulateda National Youth  Policy under the theme: “Towards an Empowered Youth, Impacting Positively on National Development” directly aimed at empowering the youth, which was launched in August 2010 by our current President, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, the then Vice President.

 Indeed, H.E. President John Dramani Mahama equally recognises the youth as agents of change, their capacity to transform our nation Ghana, thier resilience, resoursefulness, creativity, enthusiasim and the need to make them equal partners in the socio-economic space and dialogue of Ghana.

Upon assuming office, he has already extended a hand of partnership to the youth calling on them to support him build Ghana and make it a better place for us all.

 Youth participation has therefore become a key tenet in the operations of National Youth Authority and also in the implementation of the National Youth Policy, a requisite for youth development. The youth of Ghana cannot be passive beneficiaries in the development of our nation but equal, fitting and effective partners.

Throughout the world, there is a dawning for the strengthening of policies and investments aimed at empowering young people. The hopes and aspirations of our youth vary, yes they want jobs! But they also want thier voices to be heard. They want to be involved in contributing to formulating policies that impact on their lives. We at the National Youth Authority recognise this and are thus listening to and engaging with young people.

We are establishing greater and stronger processes for youth participation in programs and activities. We have just finished consulting young people across the ten regions of Ghana, for further action in the implementation of the National Youth Policy. We know that the time to integrate youth voices in a systematic manner into the decision-making process at all levels is now.

On the occasion of International Youth Day 2012 as we continue to mourn His Excellency our late President, our local theme is "BUILDING A BETTER WORLD, PARTNERING WITH THE YOUTH; PROSPECTS FOR A BETTER GHANA", I would like to urge the private sector, civil society and academia to welcome young people into their fold and strengthen partnerships with youth-led and youth focused organizations to build better young women and men for a Better Ghana.

I also wish to call on young men and women all over the country to keep their tenacity and resilience and take advantage of opportunities to empower themselves for the task of building a Better Ghana.
 
SEDINA TAMAKLOE ATTIONU(MRS)
NATIONAL CO-ORDINATOR
NATIONAL YOUTH AUTHORITY