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Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, Volta Regional Minister, has called on the youth to contribute their quota and help ensure the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

He said many challenges highlighted by the SDGs affected young people and urged them to “mobilize and manage resources properly without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs”.

These were contained in a speech read on his behalf at the 2017 International Youth Day celebration in Ho.
The event was held under the theme: “Youth building peace”.

He appealed to the youth to embrace sustainable environmentally friendly practices that would help increase production, sustain ecology and reduce climate change.

Dr Letsa said the National Youth Authority would train 2,300 youth in leadership, vocational and technical skills and would also prepare 450 students to write the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) certificate examinations.
He said other interventions such as the Youth in Graduate Paid Internship, and the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Plan were all part of government’s efforts to empower the younger generation.

Dr Letsa expressed unhappiness with the “worsening” moral decadence in society and appealed to the youth to uphold high moral standards.

Obaa Akua Konadu, Policy and Advocacy Manager, Youth Empowerment Synergy, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), said a Youth Action Campaign has been embarked upon to raise the awareness among the youth on SDGs and to encourage them to contribute to the development process.

She said the absence of the youth in the political and socio-economic development processes was a “risk factor” for unrest and appealed to stakeholders to consider the views of the younger generation.

Mr Cephas Gormenu, Ho Municipal Director, National Youth Authority (NYA), said there is the need to inculcate habits of environmental sustainability in the youth and urged them to preserve the environment.