Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Authority, Emmanuel Asigri
The National Youth Authority has warned youth-inclined NGOs to treat with contempt, an advertisement calling on them to register with a group calling itself the Youth Empowerment Synergy (YES).
The Authority says YES has no authorization to collect data of youth groups on behalf of the Republic of Ghana.
A Daily Graphic publication on Monday, November 6, 2017, on page 30 asked all student and youth groups and associations to register online with YES.
The aim, the group says, is to join ongoing advocacy for youth-inclusive policy for Ghana.
The NYA has however warned that dealing with YES comes with its own risk as it is in no way placed to compile a so-called Ghana Youth Directory.
To do so could invite the repercussions stated in National Youth Authority Act 2016 Section 25 which deals with Registration of Youth Organizations and Section 26 which enumerates offences and penalties.
It explained that the NYA is mandated under Act 939 to take steps to rally youth groups for the purpose of creating an active community of youth workers.
To this end, the NYA said it has data on recognized youth groups and urged others to feel no inhibition in contacting the NYA to register to enjoy the benefits of cooperation.
Youth groups should beware of mushrooming organisations purportedly acting on behalf of the state and in cooperation with statutory bodies like the NYA, the CEO Emmanuel Asigri has said.
He made a special appeal to international organisations to contact Ghana’s embassies and High Commissions for recognized youth organisations and the National Youth Authority.
The NYA said it has become aware of youth groups impersonating statutory organisations to fraudulent purposes and financial gain.
The NYA, he said, is also open to ideas in a form of proposals on helping achieve mutually beneficial objectives of empowering the youth.
