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The Chancellor of Wisconsin International University College, Ghana, Dr Paul Kofi Fynn, has urged the youth, especially graduates, not to depend on the government for jobs as they come out of school.

He said most of the youth depended solely on the government for jobs, which added to the number of unemployed youth in the country.

At the maiden Gathering Place Summit - 2023 in Accra at the weekend, Dr Fynn, however, called on the government to create the conducive environment that would empower young people to establish their own businesses.

“The problem we are facing these days is the dependency syndrome; the youth now sit and wait for the government to come and do something for them; it will never happen.

They will make huge promises to you to vote for them, then nothing happens,” he said.
 
Dubbed: “Strengthening The Rising Generation Through Skills Acquisition”, the summit was to discuss challenges facing the emerging generation, youth empowerment through entrepreneurship and personal commitment to becoming self-reliant, among others.

Dr Fynn said the youth needed to be empowered, liberated and inspired to live their dreams, and admonished them to also come up with ideas that would help them and the nation.

The academic and entrepreneur expressed the hope that a review of the country’s educational system would shift the system towards more practical teaching and learning to help position students to apply the knowledge they acquired for the development of the country.
 
Gathering place
A gathering place is an initiative designed by the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day for young single adults (YSAs) of the church and their friends to gather and participate in wholesome activities and experiences that bring them closer to one another and to God.

It is also to learn career and life skills that will lead the youth to become self-reliant and responsible future leaders.

The programme has been rolled out to about 180 locations in the Africa West Area, where the youth come to these gathering places of the church to learn the various skills such as fashion and decor, Photography, Video Editing, Data Analysis, Sewing, Wig Making, Bakery and Soap Making.

Employment
The First Counsellor, Africa West Area Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Elder Jörg Klebingat, said the initiative would enable the youth to gain employment through the skills acquired and have enough to provide for themselves and families.

He urged the government to make available the right resources and opportunities for the youth to chart a course and establish something for themselves.

Mr Klebingat said the initiative also aimed to simply help the youth to remain faithful in their church worship habits.

“The youth are showing us that when you provide them with the opportunity, they will make something for themselves and so as long as the youth bring their own energy and enthusiasm and do what they can do the church will be there to continue providing these resources,” he added.

Commitment 
The Director for TVET, Ministry of Education, Ghana, Rejoice Dankwa, said relevant skills acquisition would empower the youth to be innovative and self-reliant, adding,” it will equip them with the right tools to face the challenges of the future job market and solve critical problems in the country.”

She said the ministry had put in place relevant policies and guidance such as CTVET to prepare the youth to meet the demands of the 21st Century.

Attention

The spokesperson of the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Armiyawo Shaibu, said much attention needed to be given to the youth, saying,” to neglect the needs of the youth is to spell doom of every community.”

He advised the youth to explore the new job market and understand the skills needed to make themselves more competitive and relevant.