The National Network of Youth Groups (NNYOG), a Civil Society Organisation has called on the board of the National Youth Authority (NYA) to account to the public on how it utilised the 5per cent of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF).
That, NNYOG said, would reinforce government’s commitment to transparency and accountability, while enabling the youth to better understand the authority to expel any misconception they had about it (NYA).
Speaking at a youth forum in Accra yesterday, Mr Ali Abraheem, president of NNYOG noted that section two and three of ACT 939 of the NYA law spelt out the need to use the fund to benefit young people, stressing that the purpose of the fund was being defeated.
He lamented that until 2016 when the ACT 939 was passed into law by Parliament, the NYA had struggled to get funding to execute its mandate, thus it took the intense advocacy of Civil Society Organisation (CSOs) and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to call for a sustainable financing for the NYA.
“However, it appears that the 5per cent District Common Fund for the NYA has been completely misapplied due to some of the choices of projects and programmes they rolled out since receiving the fund,” Mr Abraheem regretted.
Since 2017 the NYA, he said, had been receiving 5per cent DACF which the authority had revealed have spent part on infrastructure,including the multi-purpose youth centres which has sport features and expressed regret for the development.
“Why will NYA spend money on infrastructure that is the clear mandate of the National Sports Authority (NSA)? Knowing very well that before the 5per cent DACF, a chunk of the budget of the Ministry of Youth and Sports has gone to the NSA, leaving the NYA with almost nothing,” Mr Abraheem queried.
He said instead of the funds being made available for various capacity of young people to be built, the authority had decided to do the opposite rather than what was stipulated in the law.
“Knowing the poor maintenance culture of facilities in the country over the years, one could argue that this infrastructure will only last for a few years and will not be useful again. Whereas if these resources were invested into building capacity of young people it will change their lives for the better forever,” Mr Abraheem added.
He, therefore, called on the governing board of NYA, as a matter of urgency, to ensure the proper and effective performance of the functions of the Authority as stated in section four sub-section three of ACT 939 of the law.
“We are also calling on the board of NYA to establish the District Youth Committees and Regional Youth Committees as provided in the ACT 939 section 21 and 23,” he added.
BY JOYCELINE NATALLY CUDJOE
