NYA launches National Youth Month Celebration

This follows a 2022 declaration by His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to dedicate the month of August to recognizing, empowering and celebrating the energies, potentials and aspirations of the youth of this country as important partners in national development.

The celebration, which is to be held under the adopted theme “Breaking Barriers: Creating a Stronger Youth Development Ecosystem” was launched at a news conference held on Monday, August 21st at the Authority's Head Office.

In his address to the press, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Authority, Pius Enam Hadzide reiterated that the National Youth Month celebration is dedicated to providing opportunities for advocating policies and initiatives that enable the youth to thrive and actively engage in matters of national interest.

According to him, the Authority is fully set to "embrace and appreciate the youth of this country as the driving force of progress whose passion, innovation and resilience shape the trajectory of society".

"The month-long celebration underscores the indispensable contributions that the over 11.7 million youth in Ghana make to the growth of our economy, including serving as a significant source of human capital for both the public and private sector labour market," he said. "It also is a testament to Government’s commitment to nurturing and harnessing the potential of the youth to the betterment of the country."

"This celebration isn’t only about festivities, but the creation of an essential platform to facilitate discussions about the myriad of challenge that the youth of this country face in the pursuit of their needs, aspirations and dreams. It is about providing them with mentorship and partnership opportunities, and the requisite resources to flourish and lead the country towards a brighter future."

For this purpose, the National Youth Authority has scheduled a series of dialogues and initiatives to take place throughout the entire month. These include a joint sitting of the Northern and Upper West Regional Youth Parliament on the motion “A Year of the Implementation of National Youth Policy; Successes, Challenges and Way Forward”, the Northern Youth Achievers and Mentors Awards, and a National Youth Conference on Climate Action and Environmental Sustainability.

Also on the list of activities are a Multi-Stakeholders Dialogue for Actors within the Youth Development Ecosystem, a client meeting with Consultants on Drafting of Legislative Instrument of ACT 939 and Development of Ten-Year Strategic Plan for implementation.

The National Youth Conference will culminate the Youth Month Celebration. The NYA CEO announced that the Conference is a collaborative effort between the Authority and the International Youth Fellowship (IYF).

Themed "Reformed Youth, Reformed Ghana", the 2023 National Youth Conference is scheduled for August 31st to September 3rd at the University of Ghana, Legon.

"In order to achieve the set target for this celebration, our collective efforts will reverberate far beyond the thirty days," Mr. Hadzide. "We aim to establish a lasting impact by fostering an environment that encourages innovation, inclusion and civic engagement among our youth."

He urged the general public and stakeholders to join hands in making the celebration a success.