The National Youth Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Henry Nana Boakye (Nana B), has commended the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) for supporting young athletes.
Under the able leadership of Sammi Awuku and Justin Frimpong Kodua, the YEA has invested a whopping GH¢3 million in young athletes who will represent Ghana at the upcoming Olympics competition in Tokyo and other international stages.
On Wednesday, YEA signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Sports Authority (NSA), Ghana Football Association (GFA), Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) and others to implement a GH¢3 million worth youth talent development module that will offer financial support to 1,000 young athletes in Ghana.
According to the MoU, YEA will directly pay a monthly stipend of GH 500 to each of the 1,000 athletes for a period of six months as they go through their routine training under the supervision of other partners.
“This is a very refreshing news to the noble youth in the athletic discipline. This innovation has come at the right time and it would certainly give much impetus to their career progression and also cushion them in this era of Covid-19 pandemic,” Nana B stated.
“There has been a paradigm shift in government’s commitment to the well-being and progression of the Ghanaian youth since 2017. The narrative that existed under the erstwhile Mahama government where funds meant for youth development were stolen through dubious means has changed and we are now on a positive trajectory that is empowering the youth through job creation, entrepreneurial skills training, talent development and others,” he added.
This initiative has far-reaching benefits to athletes in Ghana and will go a long way to make the athletics discipline attractive and rewarding.