May 8, 2014

President John Mahama has announced, a bill on the restructured Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA) will be laid before Parliament soon.

The President announced this on Wednesday when he met Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in Accra.

Last year, he ordered a complete overhaul of GYEEDA’s operations after investigations revealed massive corruption and misuse of public funds under the programme.

The President disclosed that the GYEEDA bill is expected to ensure proper oversight and efficiency in the management of the Agency.

“I foresee a more decentralized GYEEDA implementation which is focused at the district level and I believe that this will ensure a better supervision and more efficient use of the GYEEDA resources,” he said.

He said he is expectant that in the restructuring of GYEEDA, “systems will be put in place to ensure transparency and accountability.”

The Kufuor administration instituted the National Youth Employment Programme, (NYEP) but the programme was transformed into GYEEDA under the Mills administration.

It is an initiative set up to lessen the economic pressure on the unemployed youth in Ghana.

The programme is primarily to provide the unemployed youth with skills and short-term jobs.

But with the emergence of reports of financial malfeasance in the Agency, President Mahama ordered the management of GYEEDA to freeze all modules under the programme until ongoing reforms come to a close.

The programme is being restructured and officials indicted in the GYEEDA investigation have been processed for court.

The Financial Court division of an Accra Fast Track High Court is currently hearing the GYEEDA case.

citifmonline.com