A total amount of GHc10 Billion will be invested into the YouStart Programme for the next three years from 2022 to 2024 to equip the youth with entrepreneurial skills.
The YouStart is government’s flagship programme aimed at creating sustainable job opportunities for unemployed youth through business initiatives and growth, and was expected to reduce social vices such as armed robbery and prostitution.
The Upper East Regional Minister, Hon Stephen Yakubu, in a speech read on his behalf by Alhaji Inusah Abubakari, the Chief Director of the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) at a sensitization programme by the Ghana Jobs and Skills Project (GJSP) in Bolgatanga, said unemployment remained the main development challenge in the country, and especially in the Region.
He recalled that in 2016, it was projected that about 300,000 jobs were needed each year to absorb the increasing number of unemployed youth.
He said as part of government’s strategy to address this looming challenge, the World Bank assisted the Government of Ghana with financial and technical support to implement the GJSP.
He further stated that the beneficiary targets of the YouStart included Youth Associations, Persons with Disability, Faith-Based Organizations, Secondary, Vocational and Tertiary institutions, Youth Entrepreneurs, Businesses, NABCo, National Service Personnel and members of the public aged between 18 to 40 years who had brilliant business ideas and viable enterprises.
Mr Bukari Mohammed, the Regional Director of the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) who took the participants at the sensitization programme through the GJSP models, said 3,045 youth were targeted to be trained in various jobs models.
He indicated that the YouStart had three levels of recruitment for the applicants ranging from Basic, Intermediate and Advanced with start-up capital, grant and training components to support the youth to succeed in their various career paths.
He said from 2022 to 2024, a total of 2,100 youth would be recruited for the basic level, 630 for the intermediate level while the advanced level would engage 315 in a number of training sections including coaching and marketing.