The Ministry of Youth and Sports has since the first Republic undergone several changes in its structure and functions to reflect the policy directions of the incumbent Government.  In 1978 the Ministry was re-designed for only sports headed by a Commissioner for Sports, who was directly responsible to the then Head of State of the Republic.

In the year 2005, the Ministry was merged with the Ministry of Education to form the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.  A year later the Youth and Sports segment of this Ministry were separated.  The Sports segment was combined with Education and Science to form the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports whilst the Youth segment was merged with Employment and Manpower Planning to form the Ministry of Employment, Youth and Manpower Planning.

The Government in January 2009, decided to re-establish the Ministry to represent an emergent trend, among countries worldwide, particularly in the Commonwealth Nations, which acknowledges the inherent advantages in the natural affinity between Youth and Sports as an instrument for national development.

The Ministry as it stands now implements its goals and objectives through the following Agencies and Institutions:

*    The National Sports Council (NSC)

*    The National Youth Council (NYC)

*    The National Sports College (NSC, Winneba)

*    The National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP)

THE NATIONAL SPORTS COUNCIL 

The National Sports Council (NSC) is the umbrella organization under which the various Sports Association operate.  It was established by the Sports Decree (SMCD 54) 1976.  The Council is responsible for initiating and executing policies, programmes and projects to ensure the development and promotion of Sports in Ghana.  The National Sports Council thus exists to develop, organize and manage competitive and social sports with the view to promoting health-fitness, recreation, national cohesion and professionalism that ensures sustainable wealth creation, vigorous infrastructure development proactive management and participation in international sporting competitions.  In the nut-shell, the Council is responsible for the administration of sports in the country.

THE NATIONAL YOUTH COUNCIL (NYC)

The National Youth Council (NYC) is the statutory body established by the Government of Ghana in 1974 by NRCD 241 to co-ordinate and facilitate youth development activities in the Country.

The Council has the sole responsibility of inculcating in the youth, cultural and moral values that will make them responsible, self-reliant and patriotic citizens.  In pursuit of this goal, the NYC is charged with the responsibility of implementing policies and programmes that will develop and empower the youth.

One of the functions of the Council is to develop a strong and discipline youth imbued with the spirit of Nationalism and sense of public service and morality.  In furtherance of this objective, the Council initiates policies and programmes to promote in the youth a sense of:

*    Self-reliance, leadership, discipline and civic responsibility.

*    Friendship and co-operation through exchange of ideas with youth organizations in other countries in Africa and the World.

THE NATIONAL SPORTS COLLEGE (NSC, WINNEBA)

The National Sports College (NSC, Winneba) was established by the erstwhile PNDC Government in 1984 under S.M.C. Decree No.54, 1976.  At the time of its establishment, Ghana’s performance in sports at the international level was experiencing a downward slide as a result of the exodus of the sectors technical and human resource for greener pastures.  The College accordingly was charged with the responsibility of training and re-training the country’s technical and human resource in the Sports sector to fill the vacancies created by the exodus of our trained and skilled officials to sustain the development and promotion of Sports in Ghana. 

THE NATIONAL YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMME (NYEP)

The National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) was designed to specifically tackle the youth employment problem in the country.  Its goal is to empower the young people to contribute meaningfully to the socio-economic and sustainable development of the nation.  Its principal objective is to support the youth to transit from a situation of unemployment to employment or to prepare school dropouts to continue their education.

The programme is currently deploying nine modules, namely Youth in Security Services (viz. Community Protection Unit, Youth in Fire Prevention, Youth in Immigration), Agri-Business, Health Extension, Waste and Sanitation, Paid Internship, Community Teaching Assistants, Trades and Vocation, Eco-Brigade, and Information Communication Technology.

GENERAL PROFILE OF THE MINISTRY OF YOUTH AND SPORTS

MANDATE

By the Civil Service Law, Act 327 of 1993, the Ministry of Youth and Sports exists to formulate Youth and Sports policies; monitor and evaluate policy implementation to achieve national integration and international recognition; promote youth empowerment and self-development; and provide enabling environment for sports development, organization and promotion.

MISSION STATEMENT

The Mission Statement of the Ministry is:

“The creation of an enabling environment for effective development of the youth and sports sectors through policy formulation, co-ordination, monitoring and evaluation and the facilitation of the provision of facilities”.

VISION

The Ministry of Youth and Sports envisions enhancing the national consciousness of the youth through effective mobilization, empowerment, education and training.  It also envisions a sustained and systematic development and promotion of approved and recognized sports at both the national and international levels to foster cohesion, enhance health fitness, and promote friendship with the comity of nations.

FUNCTIONS OF THE MINISTRY OF YOUTH AND SPORTS 

Basically, the Ministry derives its broad functions from section 13 of PNDCL 327 of 1993 which states, inter alia, that:

A Ministry shall:

a)    Initiate and formulate policies, taking into account the needs and aspirations of the people;

b)    Undertake development planning in consultation with the National Development Planning Commission; and

c)    Co-ordinate, monitor and evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the performance of the Sector.

In furtherance of the above, the Ministry:

(i)    Monitors and evaluates the programmes of four (4) main statutory institutions which subsist on subventions and for which it has administrative responsibility.  These institutions are:

a)    The National Sports Council (NSC)

b)    The National Youth Council (NYC)

c)    The National Sports College (NSC, Winneba)

d)    National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP)

(ii)    Plans and programmes all inputs for sector operations, and analyses and co-ordinates all planned programmes;

(iii)    Ensure the application of standards and rules consistent with the generally accepted patterns of Public Administration System;

(iv)    Promotes the development and maintenance of appropriate structures for promoting efficiency and effectiveness of sector activities.