Accra, June 26, GNA - Through the National Youth Employment Programme, volunteerism was being promoted among the youth as a service to the nation, and a source of training for a future career, Mr. Abubakar Boniface Saddique, Minister of Manpower, Youth and Employment, has said.

He said many graduates complained that they were unable to find jobs after graduation for lack of experience often demanded by potential employers. He noted: "One way of getting those experiences is to offer voluntary service in various fields". Mr. Saddique made the statement on the occasion of the Annual Strategic Review Workshop of the Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) Ghana, in Accra on Monday.

VSO is an international development agency, which works through volunteers to tackle underdevelopment and poverty. It has been working in Ghana since 1958 and is currently working in the Upper East, Upper West and Northern Regions and parts of the other regions in the areas of education, disability and secure livelihoods.

The two-day Annual Country Review brought together VSO staff and volunteers, programme partners and key civil society, private sector and government stakeholders to reflect on VSO's work over the year under review and make recommendations for enhancing its contribution to national development.

Mr. Saddique asserted that volunteerism was an investment in personal development and that the long-term benefits were many. He stressed that human resource development and the development of the private sector as the engine of growth for the national economy and good governance were among the priorities identified by the government in the GPRS II document, adding, he was happy to learn that these were among the three key focused areas of VSO's work in Ghana.

The Minister recalled that the government recently passed the Persons with Disability Act 2006, guaranteeing the rights of persons with disabilities and providing the enabling environment for them to access, enforce and enjoy their rights as citizens of this country, this, he said VSO Ghana has worked closely with his ministry and with other stakeholders in that area.

He disclosed that VSO was working with a number of district assemblies to support them implement the government's directive on allocation of two per cent of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) to support persons with disability.

Mr. Saddique disclosed further that VSO was also currently supporting the Special Education Division of the Ghana Education Service to develop strategies for implementing the inclusive education policy that will afford all children the right to appropriate, relevant and quality education.

"I am happy that VSO is not resting on its laurels, but is seeking through this review meeting, to reflect with stakeholders to identify strategies for enhancing its contribution to national development. "It is a good sign of a responsive organization to constantly review its programme approaches and focus in order to maintain relevance to current development challenges", he stated.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency later on the General Overview of VSO's work in Ghana, Mr. Amidu Ibrahim Tanko, Country Director of VSO said the purpose of the workshop, among others was to collate and synthesize monitoring information from the programme areas to enable VSO provide information to key stakeholders and partners on VSO's work and impact in Ghana.

Mr. Tanko said women and girls were the most vulnerable, uneducated, poor and underprivileged in society. Those women with disabilities were particularly marginalized due to social exclusion. He said VSO had embarked on development planning aimed at increasing partnership, equitable access to assets and services for women in the face of inequities arising from negative deep-rooted culture and traditions.

Mr. Tanko stated: "Currently we are providing technical support to the National Service Scheme to run a National Volunteering programme that recruits graduates from tertiary institutions who have completed their National Service to serve as volunteer teachers in the Upper East, Upper West and Northern Regions for at least a year.

Government regards youth as an asset, not a problem-Minister

Akyawkrom (Ash) June 26, GNA - Mr. Boniface Abubakar Saddique, Minister of Manpower, Youth and Employment, has said that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Government regards the youth as an asset and not a problem. He said, that was why the government was preparing the way for young men and women in their prime-age to get well-educated and well-trained to form a generation of young people with great potential for economic and social development.

The Minister was addressing interns of the National Youth Employment programme posted to the Non-formal Education Division of the Ministry of Education at a five-day orientation course at Akyawkrom in the Ejisu-Juaben district at the week end.

He appealed to the youth to take maximum advantage of the programme and make the best out of it.

Mr. Saddique indicated that the interns, after the course would join over 100,000 other youth in other modules under the employment programme nationwide.

He pointed out that there were several employment modules that had been rolled out by the programme.

This involves over 100,000 youth including 16,383 in agriculture, 23,021 in community education teaching assistants, 15,500, for health extension , 5,041 for waste and sanitation and 6,000 in paid internship. The Minister stressed that the programme has witnessed deliberate and orchestrated attempts by sections of the society, particularly political opponents to either discredit it or politicize it despite genuine efforts by the government to support the millions of young people in the country.

"To allege that government is training the Community Protection Unit (CPU), one of the modules to cut unemployment numbers in preparation towards the 2008 elections without any evidence amounts to sacrificing the future of many youth on the alter of political expediency as there is no deliberate attempt by the NPP government to use these young people for these wicked ends.

"The mere speculations that the CPU is being trained and armed with weapons that have allegedly been shipped into the country to further those aspirations to rig the 2008 elections and further contend that the establishment of the CPU is unconstitutional and is in violation of Article 200 and 210 of the 1992 constitution is unfounded", he added. Mr Saddique emphasized that, the registration of the youth under the programme was purely non-partisan and no party identity cards have even been demanded as a pre-requisite for participation in any of the modules, adding that, the forms for registration are also free and that all manner of people have registered and benefited.