PDF (2.0 MB)

No individual is to blame but collectively, we all take responsibilityfor the status of young people in our countries. Recognizing thatyouth in development is a big challenge to many African countries,governments have embarked on policy development and legislationto improve on the well-being and status of young people.Several commitments, policies, and programmes on youth educationand employment have been prioritized and made at national, subregionaland global levels; however, these commitments should betranslated into accelerated implementation to ensure that desiredoutcomes are realized.Political will and a strong commitment across sectors of a society isrequired to develop national youth policies since there are severalelements that need to be articulated. Youth participation in policydevelopment, implementation and monitoring are critically important.They must be empowered to make decisions on issues thatimpact on their lives.In order for youth policies to be of national significance, they shouldrepresent an agreed-upon formula for both meeting the needs andaspirations of young people and recognizing their potential as aframework for youth development.But actions associated with the formulation of a youth policy mustfirst of all serve as a symbol of society’s commitment to it’s youngcitizens; communicating a common vision for its young generationand identifying their needs and priorities.The potential benefits that a country gains from a comprehensive nationalyouth policy are manifold. As a framework for common goalsand collective action, it provides a basis for equitable and concerteddistribution of government resources to meet the needs of youth.Furthermore, a national youth policy gives valuable importance toyouth participation in decision-making processes in a country and inthe development and implementation of youth policies.Recently (in March 2011), during our annual fourth joint AUC-UNECAconference of Ministers of Finance, a lot of our discussions focusedon the forming blocks and paradigms of a developmental state. Weall know that many of the African countries including Ghana have atIntegrating Africa305