Sammy Awuku not qualified to chair YEA board – Kwabena Donkor

The Member of Parliament for Pru East Kwabena Donkor has said Sammy Awuku does ot qualify to be appointed chair of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) and will therefore petition President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to revoke his appointment.

Mr Awuku who happens to be the national youth organiser of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) was sworn in as chair of the YEA on Friday 15, September 2017 together with eight others to form the board of the agency.

But according to Mr Donkor, Mr Awuku’s appointment is in contravention of the YEA Act, act 887 which among other things stipulates that the appointee should be a person in recognise standing and experience in administration and human resource development or training.

Speaking to Class news’ Kwesi Parker-Wilson in an exclusive interview, the Pru East legislator called on the president to take a second look at the appointment of Mr Awuku.

He said:“Sammy Awuku is a young man with a future. He’s a young man, he’s a potential leader but you cannot tell me that as at today, we can say Sammy Awuku is a person of recognised standard and experienced in administration and human resource development, I believe no. He may aspire to get there but he’s not yet there and therefore if we make him the chair of the agency, an agency that is already suffering from political interference, and contrary to the labour act we may make the youth organiser of the NPP the chair, are we perpetuating the politicisation of the agency or we are pushing a national agenda?

“We wish government take a second look at the appointment...he may have been made to chair any other body that does not have this specific requirement…I appeal to the appointing authority to take a second look at the law and also the spirit of the law to ensure that the national interest takes precedence over party interest. This we have to appeal to the president.”