The Youth Employment Agency (YEA) has launched a 16-day Job and Entrepreneurship Fair in Accra in collaboration with the Ghana Report Summit. It is targeted at young Ghanaians with skills and expected to open up employment opportunities for the youth. The event, been held at the Independence Square, is expected to bring together stakeholders from vari­ous industries, training institutions, and government agencies.

Alhaj Ibrahim Bashiru, Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of YEA, in a speech read on behalf of the CEO, Kofi Baah Agyepong, highlighted the agency’s efforts to address youth unemployment in the country. He emphasized the importance of skills training, citing the 137,092 beneficiaries recruited through YEA’s initiatives in the last two years. Alhaji Bashiru mentioned some of the jobs created as 6,028 Community Health workers, 15,000 Commu­nity Protection Assistants, 1,500 Prison Office Assis­tants, 250 Youth in Modern Building Technology and 500 Garment Master Trainers.

He noted that the artisanal sector faced threats from neighbouring countries and from the emergence of technology. To overcome the challenges, he said, YEA had dedicated resources to revamping the industry by providing training in 10 craft areas, including carpen­try, plumbing, beauty care, auto mechanics, plaster of Paris and general electrical. Others, he said were tilling, painting and decora­tion, glazing works and welding.

Alhaji Bashiru said, “the YEA has partnered with the German .