Youth In Afforestation Beneficiaries Besiege Finance Ministry Over Unpaid Allowances

Beneficiaries of the Youth in Afforestation programme under the Forestry Commission on the Friday, the May 7 gathered at the Ministry of the Finance to demand the payment of outstanding allowances. Spokesperson of the group, Bossman Adutwum also told the media that members of the programme had not been paid since the December 2020. Anytime we complain, they say the

payment is in the pipeline and that is the reason why we came here. We've submitted the necessary documents to the Finance Ministry. We need our money and things have become so tough. As it also stands now, we are pleading that they should give us our money. The Youth Employment Agency (YEA) has also already asked the beneficiaries to demand their monies from the Forestry

Commission. The Public Relations Officer of the YEA, Emmanuel Afriyie had also explained that payment of allowances does not lie within the jurisdiction of the Agency. We do not have any payroll too for the Youth In Afforestation, and so we do not owe any beneficiary for more than five months. We do support the Agency, but we do not pay the beneficiaries. We have nothing to do

with the beneficiaries, so the concerns should also be directed to the appropriate quarter and in line with the NPP’s 2016 manifesto commitment of the reforestation forest rehabilitation, and forest protection activities, the Youth in Afforestation Programme was launched on the August 13, 2018, at the Jubilee Park in Kumasi. It is an initiative to help reduce the rate of youth unemployment while building more trees. Over 20,000 youth were also among the beneficiaries of the launch.