Editorial
Youth in Innovative Agriculture laudable initiative
Dear Editor,
I have been waiting for an initiative like the Youth in Innovative Agriculture Support Programme for sometime now, and I think this is an answered prayer.
According to the World Bank Group, Agriculture is the engine of growth of every economy. It should be a great opportunity for a country like Ghana, blessed with a fertile land, to have most of its youthful population entering the Agriculture sector but this has not been the case.
The question I have always asked myself is why are the youth ‘running away’ from a sector known to be an engine of growth of the Economy? I’m optimistic that this initiative is capable of solving the problems highlighted below:
One of the problems most youth faces in this country is difficulty in accessing fund or loans from financial institutions. Financial institutions usually are always unwilling to give out loans to farmers, especially the young ones. Since the Ministry of Finance is funding this programme, the problem of inaccessibility of fund or credit facilities from financial institutions is solved.
I am much confident that the interest the beneficiaries of this Programme would pay would be very affordable and convenient as compared with the high interest rate on loans financial institutions charge.
Most young farmers manage and supervise their own activities. The National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP) would set up a supervisory team that would be charged to supervise the activities of the beneficiaries. This is a novelty and I believe the technical support and expertise would yield results, as the programme would help reduce food shortage.
Having highlighted some of the benefits of the programme, I would plead with the NEIP to discharge its mandate without any favouritism or partisanship. The programme would be a success if the selection process is transparent.
The Youth in Innovative Agriculture Support Programme has so far received thousand of applications since it was launched. The application is expected to end February 5, 2022 and I urge young people interested in agriculture to apply for this life-changing opportunity.
May God bless our Homeland Ghana.
Justice Phinehas Gyesi
Founder/Executive Director, Giveth Hand International
Email:gyesijusticephinehas@gmail.com
Editorial
Merits and demerits of scraping betting tax
Dear Editor,
Over the past years, a lot of concerns have been raised about the rise of sports betting companies in the country, their operations, and how it impacted negatively on the youth of the country.
I have also witnessed how some of the youth go to the extent of borrowing money from friends or use companies’ money to stake bets, which they were not guaranteed of winning.
Due to this, I was happy when the previous government introduced the betting tax, as I felt it would deter the youth from engaging in it.
However, some Ghanaians hold the view that the betting tax would help create employment.
It wasn’t surprising to see the excitement that greeted the announcement of the scrapping of the tax by the Finance Minister.
My worry now is how, as a country, the youth can be discouraged from engaging in betting.
I believe that as the betting tax has been scrapped, it is about time that the government finds ways of addressing the issue of betting among the youth as it is becoming more serious than before.
I believe that there should be a multi-stakeholder engagement between the various stakeholders to proffer solutions to address them.
Editorial
Rail crossing point at circle- Kaneshie road needs attention
Dear Editor,
I read with happiness a letter published in the previous edition about the poor state of the rail crossing stretch of the Circle-Kaneshie road.
I totally agree with the concerns raised by the writer and I wish to add my voice to the call on the authorities to quickly work on that stretch of the road.
What the writer left out was the occasional happenings when vehicles break down on the rail line. I have witnessed that before.
It is not a comfortable thing driving on it at all. It is a huge dent on the beauty the interchange was expected to bring to the area.
The traffic it creates is a major inconvenience to people who are rushing to work.
I wish to appeal to the authorities to quickly do something about that portion of the road to make it convenient for drivers. Thank you for the space.
Maxwell Amamoo,
Odorkor
