Speaking to Citinews on the condition of anonymity, these farmers have expressed their skepticism, claiming that many of the promises made under the program have turned out to be nothing more than empty rhetoric.

They argue that only a select few seem to benefit from the initiative, leaving the majority of farmers to fend for themselves when it comes to acquiring fertilizer and other essential farming products.

These concerns were raised during the Agrisolve Annual Harvest Trade Forum, which focused on the theme “Creating An Equitable Market For Smallholder Farmers In The Agricultural Value Chain,” also known as “Market for All” (M4A).

Sang Zagyuri Naa and Kasim Yakubu, representing the frustrated farmers, lamented that the P4J program had taken an unexpected political turn, leaving many farmers feeling disadvantaged.

They emphasized that this outcome was contrary to the expectations they had before the program’s implementation.

The Harvest Trade Forum, which gathered thousands of farmers from the Mion district and its vicinity, aimed to establish a platform for competitive and accessible market trading, share knowledge, introduce new technologies, and tools with the goal of reducing yield and productivity losses at both harvest and post-harvest stages.

Raymond Anyae, a project specialist for Agrisolve, highlighted their mission to help smallholder farmers receive fair value for the quality of their produce.

In an effort to alleviate the challenges faced by these farmers, Agrisolve has set up a market outlet center to provide farmers with access to high-quality inputs for their farming activities and a ready market for their produce.

Source: CitiNews – Shawana Yussif

Elizabeth Issifu, the Corporate Service Assistant of Corporate Banking, emphasized the importance of technological literacy in a rapidly changing world, stating that “being technologically savvy is crucial for the future of our country.”

She further expressed the team’s commitment to giving back to society as part of their corporate social responsibility.

Headmistress Adam Anthionette of Choggu Yapelsi M/A JHS expressed her heartfelt appreciation to the Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) unit of Absa Bank Ghana for their support in advancing information and communication technology.

She pledged their dedication to maintaining the computers to benefit future generations.

Abdul Nasir Rahina, the Assistant Senior Prefect (ASP) of Choggu Yapelsi M/A JHS, was filled with excitement and gratitude, shedding tears of joy as she looked forward to a brighter future made possible by this generous gesture.

She stated that “ I want to be like Madam Elizabeth Issifu of Absa bank when I grow, so that I can also give back to society just as they  have come to do”

Source: Fiilafmonline/Shawana Yussif

This is why the theme for this year’s International Youth Day “Green Skills for Youth: Towards a Sustainable World” is particularly important. The theme is a wake–up call not only for the youth but also for policy makers and other development stakeholders especially in Ghana where an estimated 83.4 percent of youth between the ages of 15-24 lack digital skills. This is the opportune time young people need to be sensitized and be well-equipped with green skills to navigate this changing environment.

Green Skills and the Future of Jobs

Green skills encompass the knowledge, abilities, values, and attitudes needed to live in, develop, and support a sustainable and resource-efficient society. These include skills in areas such as renewable energy, energy efficiency, waste management, water conservation, sustainable agriculture, and environmental protection. The jobs of the future which are largely green in nature also require a number of soft skills that deal with the multi-dimensional and complex nature of the problems the world is faced with. Skillsets such as problem-solving, communication, and green projects often require collaboration of people from different disciplines as well as adaptability and agility.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) advocatefor sustainability throughout the three pillars of development i.e., economic, social, and environment. Specifically, SDG 9 on Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure includes a target to upgrade infrastructureand retrofit industries. This is to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes by 2030.

The transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient economy requires systemic changes that will result not only in new products and services but also changes in production processes and business models. Thegreening of the economy will have significant impacts on jobs and inevitably change the skillsets required and the tasks involved in many of the existing occupations. We therefore need the following conscious efforts to adequately prepare the youth:

Bridge the technology divide

Empowering young people with digital and soft skills that will make them ready for the jobs of the future is critical.This requires strengthening of the capacities of formal and informal avenues where young people acquire digital and soft skills across the country.

Deal with occupational gender stereotypes

Considerations for existing gender dynamics and biases in the training and occupational setup must be dealt with. This will ensure that females are not left behind as green jobs are more likely to be created in male dominated jobs.

Intensify education and sensitization on climate change

There is the need to sensitize young people on climate change and the importance of innovating green solutions to address the impacts. Some young people supported by UNDP in Ghana like Christopher Gyan of Sesa Recycling and Makafui Awuku of Mckingtouch Africa are already helping communities to adopt sustainable practices by recycling plastic waste, employing many in this green job field. To be effective, young people also need to embrace diverse values, worldviews, and knowledge, including scientific knowledge, indigenous knowledge and local knowledge as part of the education and practice.

Take decisive measures and coordinated policy actions

Policy actors need to put in place coordinated policies that clamp down on activities that are harmful to the environment. We need to amplify, eulogize, and celebrate the efforts of the youth and organizations taking practical measures to ensure environmental sustainability.

To conclude, some Ghanaian youth are already demonstrating commitment to building a more sustainable future. The efforts of individual young Ghanaians who are adopting sustainable practices by taking action to reduce their own carbon footprints by planting trees, cleaning the beaches, using solar energy, recycling, and advocating for the adoption of sustainable practices is commendable and is an inspiration worth emulating by all.

The theme for International Youth Day 2023 is a great reminder not to relent on efforts but intensify actions toseek the ‘knowledge, abilities, values, and attitudes needed to live in, develop and support a sustainable and resource-efficient society for all Ghanaians.

By Sylvia Sefakor Senu, Economic Analyst at UNDP Ghana on International Youth Day 2023

Fiilafmonline/UNDP

This means, everywhere one goes they are assured of very fast and reliable services on the MTN network.

This was made known during an MTN stakeholder and media forum organized in Tamale on Monday September 22, 2022.

Mr. Shaibu Alhassan, Sales and Distribution Officer at MTN -Ghana was meanwhile quick to add that network challenges may be a major barrier to some beneficiary districts enjoying the 4G network.

He added that his outfit is working assiduously to rectify these challenges and proffer solutions to them as soon as practicable.

Meanwhile an appeal has been made to old users of mtn to change their sims to the 4G sims, to enable them enjoy the 4G network uninterrupted.

As the biggest tax payer to the Ghanaian economy, MTN has paid 2.54 billion as overall tax paid to the government of Ghana alone and have reiterated its commitment to continue to support the economy’s growth.

They also outlined that an investment of 64 million has been channeled into sustainable community project consisting of 87 educational projects, 53 Healthcare projects, 13 Economic employment projects and 4 community support programs.

Source:Fiilafmonline/ShawanaYussif