The Government of Ghana has allocated an amount of one hundred and twenty million cedis (₵120m) to support the implementation of the Business and Employment Assistance Programme (BEAP) under the Youth Employment Agency (YEA).
The initiative is an intervention of the government to tackle the high unemployment rate in the country and the impact of the globally Covid-19 pandemic. The program is therefore expected to support 10,000 Small and Medium Enterprises and further provide 20,000 young in the country with job opportunities.
The Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the YEA, Mr. Ibrahim Bashiru, at a press conference held in Tamale in the Northern region on Thursday, January 11, 2024, noted the overall objective of the programme is to strengthen Ghana economic resilience by safeguarding jobs, enhancing employment and promoting business stability.
Mr. Bashiru added the primary objectives of the programme include job retention, youth employment, SME sustainability and economic resilience.
He however posited that the success of the programme relies on the collective efforts of all stakeholders including the participating MSME, government agencies, financial institutions, and civil society organizations.
According to him, the BEAP is a timely and vital initiative designed to address the economic challenges facing Ghana as well as the global economic projections of slow growth.
Therefore, the Youth Employment Agency seeks to train about 10,000 artisans, 20,000 youth in agriculture, 10,000 in ICT and 20,000 under the BEAP project.
The Deputy CEO said the YEA has enrolled 15,000 people into the Community Protection Assistants (CPA), 6,000 under the Community Health Workers, 1,500 under Prison Office Assistants in the past year.
He added the agency in collaboration with the NEIP has trained 15,000 entrepreneurs, provided 12,000 jobs through the YEA Job Center, 5,000 under the Ghana Library Authority, 2,000 through the National Labour Commission and 45,000 under the YEA Sanitation model.
Mr. Ibrahim Bashiru reiterated Ghana like many other countries around the globe is still facing economic recovery challenges post Covid-19.
“Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises have been largely affected by the economic downturns impacting their ability to expand their fledging businesses while providing employment opportunities for young Ghanaians. The Covid-19 period was characterized by massive lay-offs with reports of persons between 18-45 years being adversely affected.”
He emphasized this has therefore caused a surge in youth unemployment and creates disaffection for governments across the globe.