Stakeholders at the close of an evaluation workshop on Bill and Melinda Gates funded Youth Engagement in Service delivery (YES) Project in Ghana have appealed for the extension of the programme.

This, they said would enable more people to benefit from the programme.

The workshop discussed the final evaluation of the programme and assessed the progress made by CHF, a non-governmental organisation and other local partners.

Mr Anthony Wilde, Country Director of CHF International said the YES project was designed to create jobs for teeming unemployed youth in the Accra Metropolis and to radically change the management of waste.

He said the programme beneficiaries were exposed to the processing and re-use of various waste materials while entrepreneurs have been created from the development of value chains, organic compostables.

Mr Wilde said and increasing numbers of households are embracing the income generation potentials of source separation.

“Waste companies are vigorously exploring more ways of applying information communication technology to improve operations and minimising cost as they improve services to residents of the metropolis,” he said.

Mr Wilde noted that organic agricultural stakeholders have networked to promote the application of compost in producing food safely and sustainably, adding that more actors are also adopting occupational health and safety practices to preserve their health, increase productivity and ultimately their returns.

He said educational compost facilities have been set up with the Biotechnology and Nuclear Agriculture Research Institute to research into better and faster ways of composting and facilitating knowledge transfer to agriculture students.

“The project has ended, but the idea lives on and we will still be available to provide technical backstopping when necessary to ensure that waste management challenges of Accra is greatly minimised,” he emphasised.

Mr Ishmael Adams, Project Director of CHF expressed gratitude and appreciation to the Environmental Protection Agency, Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Accra Plastic Waste Management Project and the local partners for the success of the programme, adding: “There will be other opportunities to continue our partnership as we strive to improve the lives of Ghanaians, especially the youth.”