Bono East youth call for measures to improve their wellbeing

Selected youth in the Bono East Region have called for measures to improve their wellbeing as well as that of People with Disabilities (PWDs).

The call was part of the recommendations made at the end of a citizen’s engagement exercise in Techiman, organized by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) in collaboration with the Africa Centre for Economic Transformation (ACET).

The youth asked families to grant equal educational opportunities to both male and female children while urging the government to invest more in technical and vocational education to prepare them for the job market.

They also called for user-friendly public infrastructure for PWDs and an increase in their share of the district assembly common fund, stressing the importance of introducing the teaching and learning of sign language in basic schools.

Earlier, in a welcome address, the Director of Programmes of the Commission, Dr. Imurana Mohammed, stressed the importance of the youth to the future of the country, adding that they have a higher stake in the outcome of the Ghana Compact initiative.

He urged them to be apostles of peace rather than conduits for violence, even as the country prepares for elections in December.

Quoting Freedom House, an American research and advocacy group, George Boateng, a senior analyst at ACET, touted the democratic credentials of the country, adding that peace, political stability, and freedom of speech remain the hallmarks of Ghana.

He regretted, however, that this has not been reflected in our economic fortunes due to, among other things, our inability to add value to our natural resources.

Mr. Boateng said it is in light of this that his organization, in consultation with other bodies, is pushing for the Ghana Compact document to enable constitutional, political, and economic reforms for the transformation of the country.

The Secretary to the Commission, Lucille Hewlett-Anann, in a contribution, urged participants to come up with practical ideas for incorporation into the social contract document dubbed ‘Ghana Compact’, ‘The future we want’.

Joseph Kwaku Yeboah, the Bono East Regional Director of the commission, said many youths find it difficult to secure jobs because the skills they acquire in school do not match the requirements of the job market.

He identified some challenges faced by the youth as inadequate funding for education, inadequate educational infrastructure, insufficient data on the labor market, and inadequate youth participation in governance and civic engagements.

Mr. Yeboah said only 3% of the education budget is allocated to TVET, while even less is made available to special and non-formal education, which he said does not make them effective.

Participants deliberated on and made recommendations on how education could be made more accessible to girls and PWDs, getting young people involved in governance and decision-making, boosting youth entrepreneurship, and ensuring that graduates and other out-of-school youth are ready for the job market.