On 16th July 2025, in a room brimming with energy, vision, and resolve, the inaugural meeting of the Youth Working Group convened under the leadership of the Minister for Youth Development and Empowerment, George Opare Addo marked the beginning of a transformative journey towards collaboration, resource mobilization, and systemic impact on youth-focused initiatives across the country.
Held at the Ministry’s conference room, the meeting brought together a diverse array of stakeholders and representatives from youth-led organizations, government agencies, development partners, and the private sector. These individuals, nominated for their demonstrated commitment and expertise in youth empowerment, form the backbone of a group set to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of the nation’s young people.
In his keynote address, the Hon. Minister for Youth Development and Empowerment set the tone with a powerful call to action. Speaking with conviction and clarity, he reminded the audience that the formation of the working group was not just timely but essential.
“The task before you is ambitious,” he acknowledged, “but I am confident that each of you is clothed with the necessary expertise and capabilities to achieve the objectives before us”, he noted.
The Minister underscored the strategic focus areas of the Ministry which includes Health and Wellbeing, Skills training and Education, Economic Empowerment among others emphasizing that these areas must remain central to the group’s deliberations and interventions.
He further stressed the importance of integration and synergy, noting that fragmented efforts in youth development often lead to redundancy and limited impact. Instead, the working group is expected to serve as a convergence point for collaboration, ensuring that institutions working toward similar goals are aligned, informed, and mutually supportive.
The Minister indicated that the power of integration is not merely in working together but in thinking together, designing together, and most importantly delivering together.
Importantly, the Minister also linked the group’s mandate to the government’s 24-Hour Economy Policy, highlighting the immense potential this policy holds for youth employment, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
For many in the room, the atmosphere was one of optimism, grounded in the understanding that while the road ahead looked complex, the vision is compelling and worth the effort.
In her welcome remarks, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment, Emma Ofori Agyemang noted the importance of establishing the group, which she said was purposely to pay attention to the myriad of the issues in the youth eco space and encouraged the members to suggest policies that could culminate in the progress of the youth.
The inaugural meeting ended not with ceremony, but with commitment etched not just in words, but in the collective resolve of a working group determined to redefine youth development for generations to come.
