The Youth Employment Agency (YEA) is expected to recruit 60,000 youth under various modules of the Agency by the middle of October as part of Government’s efforts of solving the unemployment situation in the country.

Mr Ignatius Baffour Awuah, the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, who made this known at the swearing-in of a nine-member Governing Board of the Agency, in Accra, on Friday, said providing jobs for the unemployed youth was one of the top priorities of the Government.

He said the issue of youth unemployment had now moved from being a social and economic issue to a security threat, therefore, government would put in place pragmatic policies and programmes to resolve it.

“The issue of youth unemployment has moved from an issue of economic problem to a security threat as it happened in the Arab world, that is why the President thinks that, if there is any issue that government should pay much attention to, it is the issue of youth unemployment,” he emphasised.

Mr Baffour Awuah urged the Board to work as a team and support the Management of the Agency in resolving the unemployment situation because the destiny of the Government was tied to the provision of jobs to the majority of the youth.

Currently statistics from the Ghana Living Standard Survey released by the Ghana Statistical Service indicated that unemployment figures has moved from five to 12 per cent, he said.

The Board comprised Mr Justin Kodua Frimpong, the Chief Executive Officer of the YEA, Mr Bright Wireko-Brobbey, a Deputy Minister of the Employment and Labour Relations, Mr Eugene Narh Korletey, the Chief Labour Office and Mr Victor Donkor, of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development. Others are; Mr Emmanuel Sin-Nyet Asigri, the Coordinator of the National

Youth Authority, Mr James Osei Quarshie, Dr Kwame Amoako Tuffour and Nana Yaa Ansua, Queen mother of Drobo Traditional, were all nominated by the Minister onto the Board.