National Security Ministry should be a policy making hub – Andy Kankam

Editor of the Informer Newspaper, Andy Kankam, asserts the National Security Ministry is a hub from which policy for the country’s development must emanate.

Rather than be a hub for thuggery, he describes the National Security Ministry as a critical part of Ghana’s infrastructure, both in security and development.

“Every policy must emanate from the National Security. The National Security should be a hub of government policy and not wearing suit and tie, flaunting their GoTa phones and chasing around people,” he told Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show.

He praised former Minister in charge of National Security under the Kufuor administration, Francis Poku as a fine brain to have occupied the position, having a great deal of understanding of the office’s mandate.

“That is why I always hail Mr. Francis Poku’s tenure. When he realized the involvement of people between 25 and 30 in crime had increased, he presented to then President Kufuor a policy document to resolve this, hence, the birth of the youth employment scheme,” he added.

The Youth Employment Agency began as National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) to address the ever-increasing problem of unemployment among the youth, perceived to be potential threat to National Security in 2005. It was officially inaugurated in October 2006 and functioned under the Office of the President without legal backing.

Government decided to rebrand and reposition the Agency as a Public Service Organisation to better serve the teeming unemployed youth. Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Agency (GYEEDA) was born and out doored to replace NYEP in October 2012.

In spite of being migrated into the Public Service, the Agency still lacked the needed legal backing which was crucial to its operations. Management in consultation with the necessary stakeholders presented a draft bill through the Executive to Parliament. In February 2015, the Youth Employment Agency Bill (Youth Employment Agency Act 2015, Act 887) was passed into law and assented to by the President in March 2015.

Subsequently, a Legislative Instrument (Youth Employment Agency Regulations 2016, L.I. 2231) was passed in 2016, gazetted in February 2016 and entered into force in May 2016.

By: Joel Sanco