A national programme to evoke the spirit of volunteerism, civic responsibility and rekindle the spirit of nationalism in Ghana’s youth has been launched by the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
Under the auspices of the National Youth Authority (NYA), the National Youth Volunteers Programme is designed to ignite the spirit of selflessness and volunteerism amongst young people in Ghana and encourage youth participation in national development through voluntary activities.
The Programme will coordinate volunteer activities in the country and seeks to implement thirteen Modules with the objective of developing active citizens, foster national cohesion and create opportunities for skills development among young people.
Officials of the National Youth Authority say the NYVP is envisaged to empower over 100,000 young people across the country in the next five years with the period of engagement expected to last between one and twelve months. Young persons between the ages of 18-35 years will have the opportunity to volunteer in areas such as Agriculture, Education, Health, Infrastructure, Afforestation, Community Self-Help Programme, Science, Research and Technology, among others.
Performing the launch at the Prempeh Assembly Hall in Kumasi on Monday, 11 April 2022 Vice President Bawumia said by providing a coordinated framework for streamlining volunteerism activities, the NYVP will provide an avenue for the young Ghanaian person to contribute their quota to national development by fixing the problems right from their communities to the national level.
“This Programme will therefore create a generation of Ghanaian political and thought leaders, traditional and religious leaders, entrepreneurs, and people of all professions and trades who can envision the grand agenda for Ghana and work hard to address the structural challenges that impede our journey to our glorious destination.
“The diversity of the modules under the Programme will ensure that no able and willing youth, regardless of their gender, level of education, social or economic status, religion, or any other, is denied the opportunity to serve their country and to develop their creative potential. There are 13 modules; at least one will be of interest to you.
“I am particularly excited about the prospects of the Science, Research, and Technology module, which is slated for later implementation. This will permit gifted young Ghanaians to leverage new technologies to provide lasting solutions to the myriad challenges in communities across the country.”
To further prepare Ghanaian youth for the future, government is investing heavily in Education, evidenced by the assurance of universal access to inclusive and equitable education through the sustained implementation of the Free Senior High School Policy and the upscaling of Technical and Vocational Education Training under the TVET Strategic Plan, Dr Bawumia stated.
Furthermore, Government has rolled out a number of initiatives to equip graduates with the needed skills required for the job market in the future, including an ongoing stakeholder engagement for skills revitalization in several sectors of the economy such as in the banking and tourism sectors. In the Tourism, Arts and Culture sector, the target is to train and certify 10,000 persons on specific tourism and hospitality skills by 2023.
“There is ongoing construction and modernization of all National Vocational training Institutes (NVTIs) and Opportunity Industrialization Centers (OIC). So far, 17 Technical and Vocational Institutes across the country are being upgraded and modernized.”
“The YouStart initiative which will support young entrepreneurs to gain access to capital, training, technical skills, and mentoring to launch and operate their own businesses, is also expected to take off soon,” he added.
Commending management and staff of the National Youth Authority, led by Pius Hadzide and assisted by Nelson Owusu Ansah and Akosua Manu, for the “hard work that has resulted in the roll out of this laudable programme,” Vice President Bawumia urged all stakeholders to ensure its success.
“We have before us an opportunity to change the narrative of what the Ghanaian youth is about and in doing so change the narrative around our country and our continent. We must not let this opportunity to engage our youth in useful, productive volunteering that will have long-lasting personal and national impacts pass us by.”