It said such persons would be closely monitored to ensure they were integrated into the Ministry of Roads and Highway.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NYA, Mr Pius Enam Hadzide, gave the assurance in Accra when he addressed the media on the implications of the 2022 Budget for the development of the youth.

While acknowledging that the toll booths were largely manned by the youth, he added: "Let me assure you that our understanding is that there is a firm commitment that no employee who was working at the erstwhile tollbooths will be re-assigned to other areas”.

YouStart Initiative

Mr Hadzide said the YouStart Initiative proposed by the government would create one million employment opportunities for young people in the next three years.

He said the government would contribute GH¢1 billion each year, while development partners and financial institutions would give GH¢2 billion to the special fund that would drive the initiative.

The initiative, he said, would further benefit from a GH¢5 billion commitment package from local banks to expand small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs).

Mr Hadzide said some 82,869 young people benefitted from the various initiatives of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), with the agency’s "Job Centre" further facilitating the linkage of 1,185 jobseekers with employers.

He said in 2022, the beneficiaries of the YEA modules were expected to be increased to 106,000.

The NYA CEO said the cooperative institutions of the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations further facilitated the formation of 2,133 cooperatives and trained some 5,320 farmers and 120 artisans.

He said an additional 1,000 cooperatives had been projected to be formed in 2022.

Mr Hadzide said the NYA would implement its key programmes in 2022, including completing 10 youth resource centres being constructed by the authority to provide the youth with access to training and tools.

E-Levy

The CEO of the NYA appealed to the public to accommodate the government’s e-levy as proposed in the 2022 Budget as support to the country’s development.

He said the 1.75 per cent levy charged on all electronic transactions covering mobile money payments, bank transfers, merchant payments and inward remittances would provide an avenue for all to participate in the nation building process.

The proceeds from the levy, he observed, would be used, among others, to fund the many programmes for employment.

"Our assurance that these programmes will be implemented in a fair, transparent and effective manner is rooted in the fact that compact frameworks that tie the release of resources to the results of implementing agencies have been adopted by the Ministry of Finance and continue to be signed with various implementation agencies,” he said.

“Furthermore, the NYA has set up a desk, headed by the CEO, to track the implementation of these programmes," he added.