“I’m interested in the young person pushing the wheelbarrow in the market” — Veep Calls for inclusive youth programmes

Vice President, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has urged the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment to ensure that government youth programmes are inclusive, measurable, and capable of delivering real benefits to all young Ghanaians, particularly those at the margins of society.

Speaking during a working visit to the Ministry, the Vice President stressed the need for systematic tracking and evaluation of youth initiatives to determine their impact and guide future expansion.

“I’m interested in the young person pushing the wheelbarrow in the market, the one by the roadside with four or five tubes of yarn. How do we factor in their dreams?” she said, emphasising the importance of reaching vulnerable and out-of-school youth who often fall through the cracks.

The Ministry has rolled out several flagship initiatives, including the Adwumawura and apprenticeship programmes, aimed at empowering young people nationwide.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang commended the Ministry for its strong commitment to gender inclusion, noting that female participation in the programmes has exceeded the 30 per cent affirmative action benchmark and reached about 50 per cent.

“The youth of Ghana are very innovative, and I’m happy you have gone beyond the 30 per cent affirmative action to 50 per cent. That is impressive, and I encourage you to keep it up,” she said.

She underscored the need for inter-ministerial collaboration, noting that youth development cuts across education, health, agriculture, industry, and security.

“Youth is everywhere. Your work touches almost every sector, and we must collaborate across ministries to ensure national impact,” the Vice President stated.

On programme effectiveness, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang highlighted the role of research and tracking studies in measuring outcomes and sustainability.

“When we are able to measure impact, we know how to sustain and expand our programmes. Tracking studies will help us understand whether we are on course and what our interventions are achieving,” she said, adding that researchers could play a key role in this process.

She also expressed concern about rising drug misuse among young people and called for early and sustained public education to prevent long-term social harm.

“Public education is very important. We need to protect our children early because sometimes, fixing things after the fact becomes impossible,” she noted.

Touching on the broader economy, the Vice President encouraged innovation as a means of expanding national wealth rather than merely sharing limited resources.

“I want the national pie to grow. When the pie gets bigger, even small percentages become meaningful. Taking care of the people who grow the economy is just as important,” she said.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang reaffirmed her office’s commitment to supporting youth empowerment efforts and urged the Ministry to continue innovating, tracking results, and working collaboratively to ensure youth programmes remain inclusive, impactful, and sustainable.

Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith