Youth asked to acquire self employable skills 

The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Otiko Afisah Djaba, says it is important for the youth to acquire self-employable skills since the formal sector is not sufficiently dependable. 

She said the youth should be abreast of modern leadership and innovative ideas for national development. 

Madam Afisah Djaba was speaking at the 14th Graduation of the Ghana Hairdressers and Beauticians Association, GHABA, in Accra. 

She urged members of the Association to raise their standards to position the profession above the perception that it is only for drop-outs.

The Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Otiko Afisah Djaba congratulated graduands of the Ghana Hairdressers Association, GHABA, and charged them to be good stewards of their profession. 

She challenged the leadership of the association to be more innovative, professional and intensify training of their members to raise standards of the profession. 

Madam Afisah Djaba expressed satisfaction at the rate at which more women and girls are venturing into male-dominated professions in the informal sector and pledged her Ministry's support for women. 

She said government is rolling out a programme dubbed "Operation Get Off the Streets For a better Life" to get girls on the streets into school and into various vocations. 

Chief Industrial Relations Officer of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU), Madam Marku Vondee urged Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDA's) to ensure that their taxes and levies help to grow private businesses.

She said GHABA has and continues to play a pivotal role in the informal sector of Ghana's economy. 

Since its inception, GHABA has continued to recruit and train the youth in the hair and beauticians industry, and therefore, as a key player in the informal sector and Ghana’s economy, GHABA requires urgent assistance from Government and Non-Governmental Organisations now more than ever before, so that it could continue to create jobs to complement government's efforts at job creation for the youth intended ultimately to eradicate poverty which is the worst enemy to development.  

It is important to note that, we cannot as a nation solve the youth unemployment situation in the country without formulating pragmatic policies to address the hydra-headed challenges facing the informal economy, considering its large size, as compared to the formal economy, Madam Marku Vondee stressed.  

She noted that Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDA's) must play a pivotal role by ensuring that their policies, rules and guidelines on taxes and levies are not inimical to the survival of GHABA operations but rather protects the activities of the Association to enable them survive and sustain their businesses for economic livelihood and poverty alleviation.  

Madam Marku Vondee called on the country's educational authorities to lay more emphasis on skills acquisition for the benefit of the youth, so as to empower them to play the role expected of them in nation building.  

Turning to the graduands, she said, "my humble appeal to you is that, as you have acquired some level of training in hair and beauty care and are about to graduate, your attention should be focused on retraining to sharpen the skills you have acquired from your apprenticeship to enable you develop the hair and beauty industry further." 

"Quality and satisfactory customer service delivery among others should drive your thoughts as you bring innovation into your businesses to be able to compete favourably and break even" Madam Vondee added.

The President of the Greater Accra Regional branch of GHABA, Tina Offei Yirenkyi, also stressed the need for government and non-governmental organisations to channel more resources into developing the potential of the youth since the future of the nation rests on them. 

She also urged the youth to strive for success in every endeavour.         

GBCONLINE
---DECRYPTED---