The Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment is to publish data on youth-focused government programmes on its website as part of efforts to improve transparency and accountability in the management of resources allocated to the sector.

The directive, issued by the Minister for Youth Development and Empowerment, George Opare Addo, follows a call by the Ghana Youth Federation President, Sherif Ghali, for greater disclosure of beneficiaries of initiatives including the Adwumawura Initiative and the National Apprenticeship Programme.

Mr Ghali made the request at the National Youth Forum on Wednesday, August 19, arguing that publishing beneficiary information would enable young people and the wider public to assess whether government interventions were reaching their intended beneficiaries.

Responding to the call, Mr Opare Addo said he had instructed Chief Executive Officers of agencies under the Ministry to make relevant programme data available online.

“I have tasked all my CEOs that they should make their data available on the Ministry website so that young people can verify and ascertain where every single penny of your money is going into,” he said.

The Minister said the move would strengthen accountability and help young people track the implementation of government programmes while providing a basis for evidence-driven youth development.

He noted that interventions were being implemented in areas including skills development, entrepreneurship, employment and digital training, while efforts were also underway to improve coordination among agencies responsible for youth development.

Mr Opare Addo, however, acknowledged that significant challenges remained in addressing the needs of Ghana’s youth.

“We have not solved the youth challenges yet, and we’ve not finished solving your problems. We have only begun the work,” he said, assuring participants that concerns and proposals raised at the forum would inform the development of policies and programmes for young people.