Mr. Edwin A. Amponsah, the Western Regional Director of the National Youth Authority, has called on all youth-focused and youth-led agencies to heed to the United Nations call to invest in green skills development to help curb the menace of youth unemployment. He said the green space and circular economy while improving climatic conditions had enormous avenues for job opportunities and ensuring sustainable world. Mr. Amponsah said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency to herald this year’s International Youth Day under the theme; ‘Green Skills for Youth: Towards a Sustainable World.’ The UN, he noted, deserved commendation for the 2023 theme and for throwing the challenge to the world’s youth to begin to adopt and hone green skills to enable them take advantage of the many job opportunities in the ‘green space’ while creating, adopting, and promoting solutions for a sustainable world. According to the European Center for the Development of Vocational Training, green skills are ‘the knowledge, abilities, values and attitudes needed to live in, develop, and support a sustainable and resource-efficient society. ‘This day, like any other international day also afforded players and actors within the youth development ecosystem to educate the public on topical issues of concern, mobilize political will and resources for positive youth development and action.’ The Regional Youth Director acknowledged the achievements and contributions of young people to the development of their communities, nations and the world at large, adding, ‘all these efforts must be geared towards ensuring a sustainable world for all.’ He noted that the negative effects of climate change on societies worldwide must be of concern to all. ‘Climate change keeps threatening the survival of our world and places a burden on all of us, and a huge responsibility on our youth, to adopt creative and innovative methods to quell the menace. Young people therefore cannot remain apathetic or aloof and do nothing at all,’ he added. The Director noted that it had become crucial to focus on more sustainable methods to slow down the effects of climate change or, at best, reverse it. Also, the most recent Ghana Youth Development Index report compiled by the National Youth Authority with support of the Commonwealth Secretariat, said critically involving the youth in environmental awareness programmes was one key strategy to mitigate the negative impacts of environmental degradation and deforestation. The Regional Youth Director added that youth involvement in such initiatives could certainly provide meaningful employment opportunities linked to environmental protection while, obtaining skills, practical experience and fostering interest in agriculture and at the same time helping to meet the global and Ghana’s environmental sustainability goals.
Source: Ghana News Agency