YEE global forum ends in Accra

 This year’s Youth Employ­ment and Entrepreneur­ship (YEE) Global Forum aimed at promoting entrepreneur­ship among African youth and tackling unemployment has ended in Accra.

The two-day event was organ­ised by SNV Netherlands De­velopment Organisation as part of its European Union-funded, Boosting Green Employment and Enterprise Opportunities in Gha­na (GrEEn) Project in the Greater Accra Region.

It was held on the theme “Building Partnerships for Inclu­sive and Sustainable Youth Em­ployment and Entrepreneurship in Green and Emerging Sectors.”

The event brought together young people from about 10 African countries to share ideas on job opportunities within several sectors including agriculture, pro­duction and manufacturing.

It was also aimed at contributing to the policy environment needed for jobs creation in Africa through sharing evidence and research results while providing networking opportunities to promote partner­ships between young people.

Speaking at the opening ceremony on Tuesday, the SNV Country Director, Barbara White Nkoala, said they were delighted to hold the forum to provide an opportunity for all stakehold­ers, government, development partners and the youth to come together and share experiences and recommendations to foster economic growth.

“It is arguably the best way to support youth employment and enterprise as we continue to work in partnership with the government through the Minis­try of Employment and Labour Relations, Local Government and Rural Affairs and other stakehold­ers committed to youth develop­ment,” she stressed.

Mr Nkoala said the organisa­tion was currently working on the Green Jobs Strategy with the government and urged all stake­holders to get on board to achieve the desired results.

”We need a collaborative effort to ensure that the goal of the forum is achieved. The Green Project has been operating for four years and it is important to invest into the area. We have lis­tened to the youth and committed to addressing their challenges,” she stated.

On his part, Mr Ernest Berko, the Deputy Director for Policy Planning, Monitoring and Evalu­ation at the Ministry of Employ­ment and Labour Relations, said the Green initiative was essentially following the devastating effect of climate change on the environ­ment.

With the Green Job Strategy, he said, the government would help maximise job creation potentials and minimise the effects of losing jobs courtesy climate change.

“We are working with partners to create more opportunities for jobs as we scale through the green economy that demands particular professionals,” he added.

Mr Berko who doubles as coor­dinator for the Ghana Green Jobs Strategy said they would ensure that young people create jobs to employ others.

 BY MICHAEL D. ABAYATEYE