Youth Activists advocate for separate Youth Ministry

Accra, April 19, GNA - Youth Activists have called for a separate Ministry for the Youth to ensure effective management and coordination of youth activities and programmes.

Mr Prince Derrick Agyei, a Youth Activist and Chief Executive Officer of IQ Consult, a managing consultancy firm and Mr Keli Kwesi Delataa, President of USAG, made the call at a National Youth Assembly Forum in Accra at the weekend.

They contended that the Ghanaian Youth formed the majority of the population and being the core of society, faced numerous challenges and problems that could be solved much well under a separate Ministry. The Forum was organised by USAG (University Students Association of Ghana) to draft a Youth Manifesto for Election 2004.

The Manifesto took specific positions in Education, Employment, Governance, Business and Entrepreneurship, Peace and Ethnicity and would be made available to the various political parties for adoption.

Over 120 participants from the state-owned and private universities, the Executive Council of National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS); Ghana National Union of Polytechnic Students (GNUPS); Ghana Association of Professional Students and the Private Universities Students Association of Ghana (PUSAG) attended the forum.

Mr Agyei said in view of the magnitude of challenges facing the youth in education, unemployment and HIV/AIDS, it was necessary for a separate Ministry to find quick solutions to such needs.

He said fusion of the Youth Ministry with other sectors in the past had failed to provide total commitment to the needs of the youth since the other sectors continued to overshadow activities concerning the youth.