The National Youth Authority has called on the youth in the country to play a leading role towards the realization of the vision of ‘Africa Beyond Aid’.

According to the NYA, the active involvement of the youth will help various productive enterprises make meaningful contributions to the development of the continent.

This was said in a press statement issued by the National Youth Authority dated November 1 2019, to commemorate this year’s Africa Youth Day.

The Africa Youth Day is a day set aside by the Africa Union Commission ostensibly to promote an increased awareness and recognition of young people as key agents of positive social change and economic growth in all aspects of the African society.

The release says the celebration of the 2019 Africa Youth Day in Ghana is anchored on the theme, “Ghana Beyond Aid; The Youth Factor”.

Read the full release below

November 1, 2019

PRESS STATEMENT BY THE NATIONAL YOUTH AUTHORITY (NYA) ON THE OCCASION OF THE COMMEMORATION OF AFRICA YOUTH DAY – THE YOUTH MUST PLAY A LEADING ROLE TOWARDS THE REALIZATION OF THE VISION OF ‘AFRICA BEYOND AID’

The National Youth Authority (NYA), on the occasion of Africa Youth Day, which is commemorated on November 1 across the continent, calls on all young people on the continent to play a leading role towards the realization of the vision of ‘Africa Beyond Aid’ through, inter alia, their active involvement in various productive enterprises in order to be able to make meaningful contribution to the development of the continent. The Africa Youth Day is a day set aside by the Africa Union Commission ostensibly to promote an increased awareness and recognition of young people as key agents of positive social change and economic growth in all aspects of the African society.

The day is used to reflect on how the energy and creativity of the youth could be harnessed productively. The celebration of Africa Youth Day aims to increase awareness to the very germane issues concerning the youth as well as investment in youth development with the view to increasing and strengthening youth participation in intercultural exchanges and understanding among young people.

It is an occasion to celebrate the youth on the continent and provide them the needed opportunity to contribute and channel their creativity towards political, social and economic renewal aimed at reinforcing the efforts towards the achievement of the sustainable development goals in Africa. The day was proclaimed and adopted as part of the Africa Youth Charter by an Executive Council Division at the 2006 Banjul Summit in 2006 and comes under the umbrella of the Youth Division of the Africa Union (AU).

The celebration of the 2019 Africa Youth Day in Ghana is anchored on the theme, “Ghana Beyond Aid; The Youth Factor”. The choice of this theme by the NYA, which is the statutory establishment with the overall objective of developing the creative potentials of the youth of Ghana, is very instructive and justified as it reflects the growing national conversation and pragmatism spearheaded by The President of Ghana, H.E. Nana Akufo-Addo and his government on transitioning Ghana from a country of aid dependency to a country beyond aid. And since the youth constitute the greatest productive workforce of the country, there cannot be a Ghana beyond aid without the active involvement of the youth.

In the light of this, the Youth Factor is at the heart of the country’s drive to realising a Ghana Beyond Aid, thus necessitating the theme, “Ghana Beyond Aid; The Youth Factor” for the celebration of the 2019 Africa Youth Day. In the build-up to this day, the current board and management of the NYA rolled out, for the first time in the country’s history, a NATIONAL YOUTH WEEK, where a number of programmes were held in the various regions and at the national level.

Among the programmes held at the national level to mark the maiden edition of the National Youth Week were National Youth Prayer Sessions, the Youth Stay Healthy Walk which was patronized by some 15,000 young people across the country, and a Special Sitting of the Youth Parliament where the CEO of the YEA, Sylvester Tetteh, on behalf of His Excellency President Akufo-Addo, delivered a statement on the STATE OF YOUTH AFFAIRS IN GHANA, which was thereafter subjected to a thorough debate by the Youth Parliamentarians. The Special Sitting of the Youth Parliament was graced by some Senior Officials from the Commonwealth Secretariat and Members of the Commonwealth Youth Council as well as Youth Parliamentarians and Speakers of the Youth Parliament in some selected African countries.

To conclude, the management of the NYA wishes to express appreciation to the government of President Akufo-Addo, for prioritising matters of the youth and providing significant support to the Authority in discharging its statutory mandate to the youth of Ghana pursuant to Act 939. Finally, the National Youth Authority wishes to use this medium to salute and congratulate the youth of Ghana and elsewhere on the African continent for their immense contribution towards the development of our nation and continent even as Authority calls on them to do more to help realize the vision of a Ghana and an Africa Beyond Aid. Congratulations once again and may we have a joyous celebration. HAPPY AFRICA YOUTH DAY.

Thank you.

Long live the youth of Ghana!

Long live the youth of Africa!

..Signed…
Sylvester Tetteh
CEO, National Youth Authority