Vice-President Aliu Mahama inaugurated a nine-member National Youth Empowerment Committee that would collate and collect public opinion for the formulation of an effective national youth policy.

Other terms of reference of the committee chaired by Mr Joe Aggrey, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, include the scrutinising proposals that would facilitate the mobilisation of the youth for productive ventures and the coordination of activities of youth-oriented non-governmental organisations.

Alhaji Mahama who has an oversight responsibility for the Ministry of Youth of Sports said the empowerment committee is a radical departure from the lip service past governments paid to youth development.

"We are no doubt aware that the youth constitutes the most important human resource potential that can contribute significantly to the overall development of the nation.

" Our ability to harness this tremendous potential will determine our strength and resilience in pursuing our social, economic and political development objectives".

Alhaji Mahama said government would initiate programmes that would liberate the large army of the youth from poverty, deprivation and moral delinquency caused by rural-urban migration in fulfilment of its political manifesto.

Mr Aggrey said his Ministry has been neglected for too long but expressed the hope that the mandate of the committee would offer it the needed positive change.