The Ghana Women and Youth Employment and Social Cohesion (GWYESCO) engaged stakeholders in the Savannah Region on the implementation of the Ghana Women and Youth Employment and Social Cohesion Programme (GWYESCO) Program.
Speaking at the program, The Savannah Regional Minister Hon. Salisu Bi- Awurbi, noted that women and young people constitute a significant proportion of our population and are critical to the development and future of our communities and our nation, They must therefore be recognised not simply as beneficiaries of development interventions, but as active partners and leaders in promoting peace, inclusion, community development and social cohesion.
The Ghana Women and Youth Social Cohesion Programme provides an important platform to strengthen the participation of women and young people in community development, dialogue, conflict prevention and peacebuilding.
Hon. Bi-Awurbi added that social cohesion is essential to sustainable development. It is about building trust among individuals and communities, promoting peaceful coexistence, encouraging inclusion and ensuring that people from different backgrounds can work together towards common goals.
“We must therefore create an environment in which women and young people are given the opportunity to participate meaningfully in decisions that affect their lives and communities” he said.
The Regional Coordinating Council remains committed to working with the African Development Bank, the Social Investment Fund, Government institutions and all relevant stakeholders to strengthen social cohesion and promote inclusive development within our communities.
Speaking to Yagbon News, Mr. Moro Haruna, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Specialist for GWYESCO, said the programme would focus on four major areas: skills development, entrepreneurship, access to finance and social cohesion.
The initiative is expected to provide market-relevant training and business development support to women and young people while facilitating access to finance for eligible beneficiaries.
He said the programme would collaborate with institutions including the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), Youth Employment Agency (YEA), Northern Development Authority (NDA), skills development institutions and private-sector partners.
GWYESCO is a four-year programme running from 2026 to 2029, aimed at promoting employment, entrepreneurship, skills development, access to finance and social cohesion among women and young people.
The programme is expected to create 22,000 direct jobs and 6,000 indirect jobs while providing market-driven skills and enterprise support across seven regions.
The beneficiary regions are Savannah, Northern, North East, Upper East, Upper West, Central and Eastern.
Stakeholders were urged to work together to ensure that the programme’s opportunities reach intended beneficiaries and contribute to job creation, economic empowerment, peaceful coexistence and sustainable development in the Savannah Region.
source: yagbonradioonline
