Cabinet has approved the National Youth Policy (NYP) which spells out the government’s vision on development and direction on the youth and their place in national socioeconomic transformation. The policy is expected to be launched in Cape Coast on Thursday, August 12, to coincide with this year's International Youth Day being celebrated on the theme: "Dialogue and Mutual Understanding". The policy, which was crafted first in 1999, was scrapped by the previous government with the intention of reintroducing a new one. After 10 years of inaction and lack of political will to craft a youth policy, the Mills administration took the bold initiative to fine-tune it, launch it and have it operationalised to give direction to the country's youth. Commenting on the approval by Cabinet, a Deputy Minister of Information, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, in an interview said the draft policy was national in character as it contained views from youth activists and civil organisations. He said the policy was also expected to address the concerns of the youth towards the country's development. Giving approval to the policy document, Mr Ablakwa said Cabinet was of the view that the youth in Ghana must own the policy, since it represented their aspiration. He said the approval and subsequent launch of the policy was consistent with President Mills's strategy to make the youth an integral part of his "Better Ghana" agenda, which he had so far demonstrated in his ministerial appointments. He said the President was of the belief that the greatest investment in the youth was making quality education available to them. Mr Ablakwa said it was in that respect that the President took the bold initiative to eliminate the number of schools under trees, give free exercise books and school uniforms, as well as increase the Capitation Grant by 60 per cent. Additionally, he said, the government had introduced the Youth in Agriculture Programme under which many hectares of land had been put under cultivation in Ejura and many parts of the country. Source: Daily Graphic