Youth unemployment is both a national security and development challenge. There is therefore the need to facilitate sustainable employment for the youth. This project discusses the plight of 270 unemployed youth resettled by a Mining Company in Ghana and proposes skill development and provision of start-up capital/tools as a measure of creating sustainable livelihood for them. The writer argues that financing this project require mobilization of resources from different stakeholders - Government and its agencies, private institutions, Multinational corporations, Development Foundations and individuals among other.

1. FINANCING THE SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND SET-UP OF
270 UNEMPLOYED YOUTH FROM THE RESETTLEMENT
COMMUNITY IN THE BIRIM NORTH DISTRICT OF GHANA
DECEMBER 2015
Samuel Owusu-Sekyere

2. YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT IS A SECURITY THREAT
TRANSCENDING BEYOND LOCAL AND NATIONAL BORDERS.

3. BEYOND SECURITY, YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT IS
LINKED TO:
POVERTY
FOOD INSECURITY AND HUNGER
UNSUSTAINABLE USE OF THE NATURAL
ENVIRONMENT (WHICH CONTRIBUTES TO
CLIMATE CHANGE)
ETC.

4. Facilitating sustainable employment for the youth is
fundamental to economic growth, infrastructural
development and a happy population.

5. THE GHANA’S NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT POLICY FRAMEWORK
RECOGNIZES SKILL DEVELOPMENT AS A WORKABLE STRATEGY FOR
CREATING EMPLOYMENT AMONG THE UNEMPLOYMENT YOUTH
Page 127 of the GSGDA II….
The state shall “ensure provision of adequate
training and skills development in line with
global trends by providing employable skills
training for out-of-school youth and graduates”

6. WHAT IS THE WAY FORWARD?

7. TYPE OF SKILL TO BE DEVELOPED…..
Technical and Vocational Skills
Carpentry
Masonry
Welding and Fabrication
Electrical and Electronics
Driving (both commercial cab and industrial
vehicles)
Palm oil processing
Batik Tie and Dye

8. BEYOND THE SKILL DEVELOPMENT?
• PROVIDE START-UPTOOLS ORCAPITAL

9. TARGET POPULATION: 270 YOUTH FROM THE RESETTLEMENT
COMMUNITY IN THE BIRIM NORTH DISTRICT OF GHANA
BACKGROUND
•THE OPERATIONS OF A LICENSED MINING COMPANY IMPACTED THE
LIVELIHOODS OF EIGHT VILLAGES
•THE YOUTH WERE EMPLOYED BY THE MINE BUT LOST EMPLOYMENT
AS THE MINE PROGRESSED FROM CONSTRUCTION TO PRODUCTION
•THOUGH THE LOCAL EMPLOYMENT QUOTA (LEQ) WITH THE COMPANY
IS STILL IN FORCE, OPPORTUNITIES ARE LIMITED.
•THIS CAUSED HIGH RATE OF UNEMPLOYMENT AMONG THE YOUTH.
•BEYOND THE MINE, EMPLOYMENT FOR THE UNSKILLED ARE
VIRTUALLY NONEXISTENCE.
•PROVIDING SKILL TRAINING AND START-UP TOOLS/CAPITAL CAN
FACILITATE SUSTAINABLE EMPLOYMENT

10. CURRENT STATE OF THE YOUTH
 Lost their livelihood due to the mine activities
 Compensation could not replace or restore pre-resettlement income earning ventures
 Access to shared resources which constitute secondary income especially foe the
women is also lost
 Breakdown of family and community social networks worsens the plight of the aged
whose children are unemployed and also dependent
 The unemployment resulted in high income poverty and food insecurity among the
youth
 Teenaged pregnancy has also increased among children of school going age
 Issues of theft and other minor social vices has also increased
 There is general despondency and hopelessness

11. SO WHAT IS THE MISSING LINK?

12. BUT IT IS GOVERNMENT’S CONSTITUTIONAL DUTY TO PROVIDE
ADEQUATE MEANS OF LIVELIHOOD AND SUITABLE EMPLOYMENT FOR
ITS CITIZENS! (ARTICLE 36 (1) OF THE 1992 CONSTITUTION OF GHANA)
YES!
….but the constitution also recognizes the deficiency of the
government in financing its development program and projects.
The state shall afford “ample opportunity for individual initiative
and creativity in economic activities and fostering an enabling
environment for a pronounced role of the private sector in the
economy [article 36 (2) (b)] while “ensuring that individuals and
the private sector bear their fair share of social and national
responsibilities including responsibilities to contribute to the
overall development of the country [article 36 (2) (c)].

13. WHO THEN SHOULD COMPLEMENT GOVERNMENTS EFFORTS
The Mining Company (Multinational Corporation)
The District Assembly
The Local Development Foundation

14. THE MINING COMPANY
 The mining company require social license to operate
 The current unemployed state of the youth is a threat to
the safety and security of the mine’s employee and
operations
 Sustainable mining ensures the wellbeing of the
indigenous people
 It is the corporate social responsibility for the company

15. WHAT ABOUT THE DISTRICT ASSEMBLY?
• Development of employable skills is part of the
district’s mandate and aligns with its GSGDA II
• The DA is expected to stimulate local economic
development (LED) by creating the enabling
environment for growth and development.
• The da is directly responsible wellbeing of the
local people including the youth in the
resettlement community
• Required to implementation of GOG policies and
programs on employment creation and other
livelihood interventions at the local level

16. THE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION
 The proposed Skill set aligns with
foundations thematic area on human
resource development
 The Foundation is already supporting ten
(10) youth in driving and masonry
 The Resettlement community is one of the
intervention communities

17. Financing Skill Development for Youth employment
should be a complementary effort between
stakeholders….Gov’t, Individuals, Private Organizations,
Community members, etc.