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A youth-led initiative designed to amplify the voices of young people and ensure their inclusion in policy dialogue, decision-making and development cooperation was launched in Accra last Tuesday.
“The Youth Sounding Board (YSB) Ghana” is a Team Europe initiative jointly established by the European Union (EU) and the Embassy of the Netherlands in Ghana to provide a platform that ensures young people are actively engaged and heard in shaping development cooperation.
The platform offers young people aged 18 to 32 a two-year voluntary engagement opportunity to advise the EU and the Netherlands Embassy on youth-related policies and development.
The members of the first cohort of the YSB are made up of 20 selected influential youth advocates and individuals across the country. Applications for the first cohort, which began in March 2025, closed in February 2025, but the initiative provides a significant opportunity to shape policies and programmes that impact their communities and the nation at large.
The launch aimed to strengthen collaboration between Ghanaian youth, the EU and the Netherlands under the broader Team Europe Initiative.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Youth Sounding Board (YSB) Ghana, the Minister of Youth Development and Empowerment, George Opare-Addo, called for a paradigm shift in youth engagement, stressing that young people must no longer be “spoken for” but “spoken with” to shape the country’s policy and development agenda.
Mr Opare-Addo urged members of the Board to remain disciplined, evidence-driven, and solution-oriented, adding that their credibility would hinge on their ability to synthesise diverse perspectives into actionable recommendations and engage government and partners constructively.
Highlighting key government interventions aimed at youth empowerment, the minister cited programmes such as the Adwumawura initiative, which would support youth entrepreneurship with capital, training and mentorship; the National Apprenticeship Programme, which would equip thousands with technical skills; reforms to the National Service Scheme to strengthen civic responsibility and employability; and expanded job creation efforts through the Youth Employment Agency.
He commended the EU and the Netherlands for their foresight and commitment to the initiative, describing the partnership as “one premised on mutual respect, shared responsibility, and a belief in the transformative potential of the youth.”
He, therefore, called for more collaborative models to drive sustainable and inclusive development, saying, “We are partners contributing ideas, innovation and solutions to our shared global challenges.”
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Youth Authority (NYA), Osman Abdulai Ayariga, emphasised the urgency of innovative approaches to youth development, adding, “With 57 per cent of our population under 25 and youth unemployment at 19.7 per cent, we need innovative approaches that move beyond traditional top-down programming”.
He outlined the government’s commitment to ensuring the Board’s effectiveness by integrating YSB recommendations into quarterly policy reviews, offering capacity building on government systems and budget processes, and facilitating access to existing programmes and funding opportunities for viable youth-led initiatives.
Mr Ayariga called on development partners to invest in the long-term potential of the country’s youth, saying, “Youth development requires patient capital and long-term thinking”. He added that sustainable progress would come from partnerships rooted in trust and shared responsibility.
The European Union (EU) Ambassador, Irchad Razaaly, reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to placing young people at the centre of its work.
He said the YSB was mandated to engage policymakers directly, provide fresh perspectives, and help shape initiatives that were more inclusive and impactful.
The YSB, as part of the EU’s global Youth Strategy, he said, was built on three core pillars, including engaging young people to influence EU policy dialogue and programme design in Ghana, empowering them to launch a €2.6 million Youth Empowerment Programme, and connecting them to opportunities such as the Erasmus+ programme and other scholarships, which were already benefiting nearly 1,000 Ghanaian students and professionals annually.
Mr Razaaly congratulated the inaugural members and urged them to make their voices count as they embark on the two-year mandate to help shape policies and programmes that would drive inclusive and sustainable development in Ghana.
The Netherlands Ambassador to Ghana, Jeroen Verheul, encouraged the youth to take full advantage of the opportunity to influence decisions that could shape their future.
The YSB, he said, aligned with ongoing efforts by the Netherlands to support youth participation in economic transformation as the Ghana-Netherlands partnership transitions from an aid-focused relationship to one centred on trade and private sector development.
