The Youth Development Corporation (YDC) USA, on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with three Ghanaian state agencies including the Ghana Digital Centers Limited, Ghana National Petroleum Corporation Foundation (GNPC), and the National Service Scheme (NSS).

Signed at the YDC office in Saginaw Michigan, in the presence of Saginaw City Mayor Brenda Moore, YDC Board Chair, Gary L. Loster, and other host of dignitaries.

The MoU between the partners is in a bid to expand its operations in Africa which is tailored towards giving employable skills training, exchange programs to the youth and sourcing for funding to support the activities of these government agencies.

The aim of YDC USA is to empower and assist underserved young people with the essential social, vocational, academic, and life skills necessary to navigate a positive pathway to self-sufficiency and community responsibility.

According to the terms of the partnership, YDC-USA is partnering with 3 Ghanaian agencies already on various youth development programs in Ghana to have its footprints in the West African Country.

In his brief remarks, Chief Executive and Founder of YDC-USA, Eric Eggleston said his outfit decided to partner with the Ghanaian agencies when Kwadwo Baah visited and indicated that his services will help in developing the youth is Ghana by offering them employable skills.

Besides, Ghana has a stable environment which is very conducive for any developing economy.

Chief Executive officer for Ghana Digital Centers Limited, Kwadwo Baah Agyemang who led the Ghanaian delegation commended YDC-USA for their partnership.

He disclosed that he has begun talks with their USA partners in November 2021 when he went for a private visit and was happy the discussions had paid off to culminate in the signing of the MoU.

Mr Agyemang noted that his delight was even more on the opportunity the partnership intends to give the people of the two countries.

"I am extremely happy that in this partnership we can have the chance to explore the potentials of training and developing the skills of our youth and also in doing so, create jobs to reduce the country’s unemployment deficit’’, he said.

On his part, Dr Dominic Eduah of the GNPC Foundation said his outfit was happy to have such a platform to train and also equip the youth of Ghana.

He noted the commitment of the corporation to abide by the tenets of the partnership and ensure it does its part to make the deal work for both countries.

The Deputy Director at the National Service Scheme, Mrs Gifty Oware Mensa, who represented her boss Osei Assibey Antwi applauded the deal and said his outfit was rearing the opportunities arising from the partnership so it can get most Ghanaian youth trained as well as secure permanent jobs after mandatory service.

She pledged her commitment to ensuring the partnership works to benefit both the Ghanaian youth and their American counterparts.

A communication officer for the government, Maame Yaa Aboagye who was part of the delegation commended the leadership of President Akufo-Addo, stating that under his term these state-owned agencies have been revamped and many are operating at efficient levels.

She reiterated that the Ghana National Service Scheme has successfully introduced a system through which certificates of personnel are mailed to them directly.

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Ghana Digital Centres has extended its reach beyond the capital Accra, taking digital solutions to the doorstep of people across the country, and the GNPC Foundation continues to play a crucial role in ensuring that schools and other institutions acquire the requisite resources to comply with Covid-19 safety precautions.

Indeed, these objectives are compatible with the objective of the Youth Development Corporation to empower and equip young people with the requisite skills and resources to develop.

Irrespective of the differences in the scope of activities of the various agencies, they are united in their common commitment to youth development. Indeed, each entity has performed very well independently. Thus, I have no doubt that this collaboration would have an even greater impact and a wider reach.

This is a mutually beneficial collaboration. Thus, members of the Youth Development Corporation are sure to benefit from interacting with their colleagues from Ghana, while the Ghanaian SOEs also share and glean from the knowledge and experiences of their colleagues at YDC. Yes, the benefits of the collaboration between the SOEs and Youth Development Corporation transcend institutional and national borders.