Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, a flagbearer aspirant of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has emphasized the significance of the agriculture sector in addressing the escalating problem of youth unemployment in Ghana.
According to him, the solution lies in making the right investments in the sector. He believes that the agricultural industry has a vast potential for job creation, particularly in areas such as industrialization, agro-processing, and advertising
He argues that with adequate investment, Ghana’s fortunes can be transformed for the better.
“My vision is really targeted at the youth. To have an impact on the youth is to create job opportunities for them. The youth really need jobs and the agriculture sector holds the key”, he noted.
Dr. Afriyie Akoto made this observation on Monday when he took part in a Town Hall Meeting organized by NPP, Canada branch, via Zoom and interacted with the party faithful on his vision when giving the nod to bear the flag of the UP Tradition and Ghana as a whole.
He was responding to a question posed by one Felix Brown on what could be the fate of the NPP youth under his leadership.
Commenting further on the issue, the former Minister of Food and Agriculture said the approach to addressing the myriads of unemployment issues confronting the youth has to do with pragmatic policies, assuring that under his leadership, he will put in place policies that are geared towards prioritizing investment into the agriculture sector.
For instance, he said the introduction and execution of the government’s flagship program, Planting for Food and Jobs, created more job opportunities for the teaming unemployed youth and in the process, changed their lives.
“Everywhere I go, you see these young people thanking me for giving them opportunities to venture into agriculture. It is very gratifying to note that the opportunities are changing lives, especially, when you go to the northern parts of the country”, he noted.
