The Vice President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, has assured the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment of the government’s financial support, urging the ministry to remain patient in light of the recent settlement of US$1.47 billion in energy sector debts.
Speaking during a working visit to the ministry, the Minister for Youth Development and Empowerment, George Opare Addo, expressed concern about inadequate funding for some of the ministry’s key initiatives.
He appealed for increased budgetary allocation to support the rollout of the National Service Emergency Response Readiness Programme (NSERRP) and to expand training opportunities under the National Apprenticeship Programme.
Responding to these concerns, the Vice President assured the ministry that the government remains committed to supporting its mandate and will work to mobilise the needed resources.
“Not to make excuses, but just recently we used so much to pay debt. We should be interested in ways we can grow the national purse. I am interested in making sure that what we have gets bigger. Growing the economy should be paramount, and the people who will be used to grow the economy are also something we should look at,” she added.
She further urged the ministry to effectively track and document government interventions to assess their impact, identify gaps and determine whether the programmes are achieving their intended objectives.