The Youth Empowerment Synergy (YES-Ghana), has expressed their displeasure at the National Youth Authority for its unwarranted and damaging statement cautioning youth groups to desist from engaging with the organisation in its project to compile a Youth Directory.
YES-Ghana described the move by the NYA as “misleading, damaging, and completely unwarranted”.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, November 8, 2017, YES-Ghana noted that “Considering the open and fruitful relationship that has existed between YES-Ghana and the NYA, it is difficult to ascertain exactly what motivated the NYA to issue such a disparaging public statement without first contacting YES-Ghana to seek clarifications. For more than fifteen years, YES-Ghana has collaborated with the NYA to successfully implement many projects”.
The statement further stated that the Ghana Youth Directory, as well as other wide-ranging youth development programmes of YES-Ghana, do not violate any laws of Ghana as claimed by the NYA.
The National Youth Authority (NYA), in reaction to an advertisement in the Daily Graphic by YES-Ghana calling on Youth Groups to register online to join ongoing advocacy and youth-inclusive policy in the country, said that YES had no authorization to collect data of youth groups on behalf of the Republic of Ghana.
But according to YES-Ghana, the Ghana Youth Directory is a “youth-led, civil society effort that seeks to create an information hub for youth groups, associations and organisations towards effective collaboration and exchange of information among actors in the same field”.
YES-Ghana has therefore requested a meeting with the CEO of the NYA to clarify any issues and concerns the NYA may have about the Ghana Youth Directory in particular, and the work of YES-Ghana in general.
Read the full statement below