Ministry of Youth and Sports (Ghana)

The Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ghana is the government agency responsible for youth empowerment and sports development.

History

The ministry has undergone major restructuring of its functions and activities since Ghana's independence in 1957.^[1] One restructuring took place in 1978 when the ministry was structured for only sports development and administration.^[1] The ministry was then headed by the Commissioner for Sports. In 2005, the Ministry of Sports merged with the Ministry of Education to form the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. A year after the merger, the youth segment of the ministry was separated and joined to the Ministry of Employment and Manpower Planning to create a new ministry - Ministry of Employment, Youth and Manpower Planning. Sport development in 2006 was managed by the Ministry of Education and Sports.^[2] During the John Atta Mills administration in 2009, the government decided to establish an autonomous ministry in charge of sports. The Ministry of Youth and Sports was thus created.^[1]

Minister of Sports

Clement Kofi Humado is the current Minister of Sports.^[3] He succeeded Ekua Sena Dansua. Since 2009, the ministry has had four ministers taking charge of the ministry.

Year	Minister
2009 - 2009	Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak
2009–2010	Alhaji Rashid Pelpou
2010–2011	Ekua Sena Dansua
2011 -	Hon Clement Kofi Humado

Agencies under the Ministry

The Ghanaian Ministry of Youth and Sports is responsible for four agencies:^[1]

The mandate of the National Sports Council is to function as an umbrella organization under which various sports association operate. It was formed in 1976. The council develops, organizes and manages competitive and non-competitive sports to promote national cohesion and professionalism in various Ghanaian activities. The National Youth Council is a government agency established in 1974 to organize and promote youth development programmes in the country.^[1]

The National Sports College was built in 1984 in Winneba in the Central region. The college was established by the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) government to promote various sporting disciplines to international levels. At the college's establishment Ghanaian sportsmen were not performing as expected at international competitions.^[1] A reason for the college's establishment was to improve the competitiveness of sportsmen in the country. The function of the college is to train and re-train the country’s technical and human resource in various sporting disciplines.^[1]

The National Youth Employment Program (NYEP)^[4] was created in 1996.^[5] The programme's function was to address the country's youth unemployment with the aim of empowering Ghanaian youth so they could add positively to the socio-economic and sustainable development of the nation. The programme operates module systems such as Youth in Farming, Youth in Health Extension, Community Teaching assistants among other. In June, 2007 the programme had employed 95,000 youths under various modules.^[5]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} "Ministry Of Youth And Sports". www.ghana.gov.gh. http://www.ghana.gov.gh/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5381:ministry-of-youth-and-sports&catid=74:ministries&Itemid=224. Retrieved 30 May 2011. 
2. ^ "Ministry of Education & Sports". www.ghanaweb.com. http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/republic/ministry.profile.php?ID=39. Retrieved 30 May 2011. 
3. ^ "New Minister For Sports". www.ghana.gov.gh. http://www.ghana.gov.gh/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4347:new-minister-for-sports&catid=25:sports&Itemid=165. Retrieved 30 May 2011. 
4. ^ "Launch of National Youth Employment Programme". www.ghanaweb.com. http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/photo.day.php?ID=111576. Retrieved 30 May 2011. 
5. ^ ^{a b} "95,000 EMPLOYED IN VARIOUS MODULES UNDER NYEP". www.parliament.gh. http://www.parliament.gh/95_000_employed_various_modules_under_nyep.html. Retrieved 30 May 2011.