NYEP to be reviewed -Minister

Accra, Feb. 19, GNA - All aspects of the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP), including conversion of allowances into salaries and career progression is to be reviewed.

Nana Akomea, Minister of Manpower, Youth and Employment told Parliament on Tuesday that currently, the NYEP pays allowances and not salaries because it has been designed along the National Service Scheme to offer jobs to various categories of young people.


"The NYEP is a special government intervention to address youth unemployment in Ghana," he said in response to a question on when employees of the NYEP would be made contributors to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust.


The Minister also told the House that the Ministry has held several meetings culminating in a draft employment policy and draft action plan to operationalise the policy.


Nana Akomea said these in response to another question on what the National Employment and Youth Development Policy of the Ministry was. The Minister told the House that the Ministry would hold the necessary "validation consultations and conferences which would include Parliament to achieve the necessary stakeholders consensus before submission to Cabinet for further directives and decisions.


"The Ministry projects these processes of validation and Cabinet decision to be completed by July 2008, so that, the nation would have a National Employment Policy."

On the Youth Policy, he said, a draft Youth Policy was produced in 1999 and it has been subjected to stakeholders' reviews with a resultant reviewed draft policy and action plan ready in mid 2007.


"The Ministry of Manpower, Youth and Employment would further subject the two documents to broader stakeholder evaluation including Parliament before submission to Cabinet for final directive and decision."


He said, it was expected that these processes would be completed this year.


Parliament has, meanwhile begun the debate on the Presidents' sessional address made on the floor of the House last Thursday. 19 Feb. 08