The 77th Annual New Year School (ANYS) and Conference ended on Wednesday with the presentation of a communiqué urging the government to implement targeted measures to sustain Ghana’s socio-economic growth and development across key sectors.
Presenting the communiqué, the Director of the 77th ANYS, Professor Simon-Peter Kafui Aheto, outlined several recommendations, including the expedited resourcing of the Digital Youth Village and Centre, the development of a sector-based operational 24-hour economy framework, and the standardisation of capacity-building and training programmes for entrepreneurs.
The communiqué further emphasised the need for government to broaden the country’s tax base through the digitalisation of the informal sector. It also called for the development of digital and youth-focused programmes to address rising youth unemployment.
According to Prof Aheto, the growing interest of young people in digital and technology-driven initiatives clearly indicated the need for government to scale up efforts to create opportunities in that space.
He also stressed the importance of inclusive participation in policy formulation and implementation at the local level to ensure effective governance.
Prof Aheto noted that although Ghana was endowed with enormous talent within its educational institutions, the country had failed to adequately harness this potential.
In this regard, he urged the Ministry of Education to consider launching a National Talent Hunt Programme to identify, develop, and nurture talents across schools, as proposed in the communiqué.
He further underscored the need for comprehensive support for entrepreneurs, including access to funding, technical training, regulatory compliance assistance, and logistical support, as a means of reducing unemployment and stimulating economic growth.
Touching on sports development, Prof Aheto highlighted the importance of revitalising inter-school sports competitions to identify and nurture young athletes capable of representing Ghana at international competitions.
He called for adequate time allocation for Physical Education (PE) in schools to encourage participation in various sporting disciplines.
Additionally, he advocated the establishment of an independent sports ethics committee to combat corruption within the sports sector.
On the health front, Prof Aheto stressed the need for the government to integrate health education into school curricula and to launch community-based health campaigns.
He explained that such initiatives would not only improve public health outcomes but also enhance the overall performance of the health sector.
Other key issues highlighted in the communiqué included the passage of the Public Performance Bill by Parliament to strengthen accountability and the leveraging of technology to accelerate industrialisation.
In a brief remark, the Executive Director of the 77th ANYS and Conference, Dr Jack Andrews Dotsey, urged participants to reflect on the discussions and work collaboratively to drive Ghana’s socio-economic transformation.
The two-day event, held under the theme “Building the Ghana We Want Together for Sustainable Development,” was officially opened on Tuesday by President John Dramani Mahama. It brought together policymakers, academics, industry leaders, and development partners to deliberate on Ghana’s development priorities and pathways toward sustainable growth.
BY BENJAMIN ARCTON-TETTEY
