The Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) on Monday, July 7, began the nationwide payment of the allowance for employees of the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP). This follows a memorandum of understanding signed between the bank and the Ministry of Manpower, Youth and Employment last month. Under the memorandum, the bank will pre-finance the payment of the allowance while the ministry reimburses it later through the inflows of revenues and the National Communication Tax, also known as 'talk tax'. This month's allowance is being paid mostly over the counter to most of the beneficiaries as many of them are yet to open accounts with the bank. The Times reports the Minister of Manpower, Youth and Employment, Nana Akomea, as saying "everything is-going on smoothly. So far, the report from our monitoring team indicates that everything is smooth." He said since it was the first time that the bank was undertaking the nationwide payment of the allowances, "there could be a little hitch here and there" but added that with time, things will get better. Close to 70,000 employees under the NYEP on government payroll will be paid allowances under the arrangement between the ministry and the bank. At a number of ADB branches in Accra on Tuesday, NYEP beneficiaries were going through the process to receive their allowances. A source close to the bank's headquarters in Accra confirmed to the Times that payment was being done across the country. Mr Ben Konadu, Cedi House Branch Manager, said about 100 employees under the branch's catchment area of Osu-Klottey had so far been paid and that current accounts had been opened for about 300 to receive subsequent allowances through them. One beneficiary, Ms Samira Shaibu, told the Times, "Me and my colleagues are happy that we have received our allowances." At the Ring Road Central branch, the manager, J.D. Turkson, said payment started last Saturday' and more than 200 beneficiaries within Ayawaso East and Central, the branch catchment area, had been paid. The new payment system is expected to solve the perennial delays in the payment of the allowances as a result of slow inflows of funds from the programme’s, funding agencies. The 170,000 or so youth engaged under the programme are involved in, among other areas, community policing, auxiliary health extension work, agriculture and teaching, as part of governments efforts to solve the youth unemployment problem. Source: Ghanaian Times