Existing modules will be reviewed for upgrade - YEA

The National Youth Employment Agency (YEA), under the Akufo-Addo led administration says existing structures and modules under the programme will not be truncated as speculated, but will be reviewed for possible upgrading.

In doing so, the agency shall concentrate on building an exit plan that will inure to the benefit of beneficiaries.

The exit plan will be structured such that after completing the two year mandatory contract, one may have the opportunity to be sustained or absorbed under an entirely different module.

In an interview with GBC’s Radio Ghana's Isaac Asare, the Deputy National CEO of the YEA in-charge of Operations, Bashiru Ibrahim, said his administration will see to the rolling up of more modules to benefit majority of the teeming unemployed youth.

The addition, he said, will be done in conformity with the NPP’s manifesto which specifically guarantees jobs for the youth.

Mr Ibrahim described as regrettable, the level of corruption and mismanagement that characterized the Agency under the watch of the former administration.

According to him, the Agency has gone through some massive restructuring to spice up its operations. With this in place, the agency is poised to work in tandem with the laid down rules and regulations governing it.

He said under the new youth employment Act, only 5 percent of total revenue can be used for administrative purposes including payment of salaries.

Under the same act, the agency is required to give out not more than 2 percent of the projected revenue to its mother ministry with the rest going to beneficiaries. This basically means that the agency will operate with 3 percent of its revenue contrary to what pertained in the previous Act.

Mr Ibrahim, was certain that per the new Act, issues of corruption and other wrongdoings relating to abuse of procurement laws, ghost names and awards of contract will be a thing of the past because the laws frown on such illegalities.

Asked whether the new administration was ready to settle the debt owed YEA beneficiaries, Mr Ibrahim stated that his office was considering the payment of allowances due beneficiaries though most of them were enrolled few months to the elections.

He disclosed that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration recruited 65,000 people but was able to migrate about 59,000 onto the pay roll system adding that the new policy mandates the Agency to address such financial hiccups considering the delay it may take to do that.

The appointment of Mr Ibrahim came not as a surprise to many, as evident in his proven track records both in academics and party business.

He will now be in charge of rolling out new models, ensure payment of allowances and also play monitoring and evaluation role on functional models.

Mr Ibrahim who is yet to be endorsed by the Public Services Commission under paragraph 7 of the Youth Employment Act told GBC’s Radio Ghana that in spite of the daunting task ahead, he will put his expertise to bear and abreast himself with the operations of the programme.

Before his appointment by President Akufo-Addo, Mr. Bashiru Ibrahim was the former Upper East Regional Youth Organiser of the NPP.

GBC