The future development of a country cannot be achieved meaningfully if the youth are not actively involved in it. The youth constitute an integral part in the socio-economic development of every country in this world. Therefore, it will be out of place to entirely relegate them to the background so far as future development of nations is concerned.
It is for the above reason and others that Today newspaper seizes the opportunity to commend the Mills administration for its bold step to give direction and actively support the Ghanaian youths to play a more proactive role in the future development of mother Ghana by launching the National Youth Policy in Elmina last week. It is most unfortunate that many a Ghanaian youths are unemployed with others taking to crimes such as armed robbery, cyber fraud among others.
Most often what has accounted for the high involvement of our youth in crime-related activities is the lack of job opportunities in the country. There are many first degree and second degree holders who for many years have been searching for employment. It is indeed refreshing to see the effort by the current administration to shape the future of the Ghanaian youth.
We take delight in praising the government for finally launching the national youth policy. The launch, no doubt, affirms government’s further commitment to provide resources and opportunities that will allow the Ghanaian youths to be part of the development process of this nation.
It is equally gratifying to hear that the new youth policy has been crafted and will be embedded with programmes that will empower and mainstream the youth into national development. It is rather unfortunate most governments that we have had in the since the inception of the 1992 Constitution have not been wholly seen to commit adequate resources to actively involve our youth in the development of this nation.
We therefore hope that the NYP will become a policy guideline for successive governments to pay more attention and not lip-service towards engaging the youth in our nation’s future development. We also hope that the youth policy will not be discriminatory but will be national in character to afford every living Ghanaian youth the chance to serve his country.
On that note Today newspaper lauds the Mills government for its efforts to address the many challenges confronting our youths. It is our belief that the youth policy has come to stay.
