The National Democratic Congress flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, has unveiled plans to revamp the Youth and Sports Ministry for enhanced service delivery to Ghana’s youth.
During the launch of the NDC’s National Youth Wing Secretariat and Campaign on Friday, March 29, 2024, Mahama stressed the necessity of adopting a more holistic approach to youth empowerment.
The proposed restructuring of the ministry, he elaborated, aims to extend its focus beyond sports, particularly football, and encompass various sectors of the economy to better cater to the needs of young people.
Under Mahama’s vision, the revamped ministry will prioritize youth engagement across all industries and strive to integrate youth concerns into national development plans.
Key features of this initiative include the establishment of a youth development service dedicated to creating employment opportunities for the youth and supporting the implementation of his 24-hour economy agenda.
The 24-hour economy concept, Mahama emphasized, seeks to bolster economic growth and job creation by fostering round-the-clock economic activity, underscoring the pivotal role of youth participation in Ghana’s progress.
“We are going to separate Youth and Sports because it’s a youth and sports ministry but over the years, what we do is that the concentration is on sports and even on sports, the concentration is on Black Stars at the expense of any other sports. So I’m going to set up a service for Youth development. It will focus primarily on Youth status in all sectors of the economy.”
“It will focus on mainstreaming youth interest in all sectors of the economy. And most of all, we will concentrate on bringing on strategies that will create jobs for young people and this Ministry will support the 24-hour economy.”