By :Tilda Acorlor
A new report revealing challenges and opportunities faced by young people in the Ho Municipality dubbed “Ho Youth Well-being Index 2023” has been launched by the Young and Safe Project in Ho, the Volta Regional Capital.
The report touched on diverse areas such as physical and mental health, educational attainment, economic standing, personal safety, freedom, and civic engagement.
The Ho Youth Well-being Index 2023 represents the comprehensive well-being and circumstances experienced by young people aged 13-25 in the Ho Municipality.
Key among the many challenges highlighted by the report is the lack of fundamental readiness for the job market. The report says this is due to the low percentage of vocational skills and digital literacy which are essential for the job market.
The Ho Youth Well-being Index 2023 scores Vocational and Digital literacy at 32 and 30 percent respectively and this may affect job prospects within the Municipality.
“The youth may face challenges in employability due to low scores in vocational skills and digital literacy, standing at 32%, potentially impacting their job prospects within the city. Additionally, mentorship opportunities within the city also received average score of 53%. These findings underscore the need for comprehensive interventions to enhance youth employability by improving their vocational skills and digital literacy levels.”
It also indicates a low turn up of local government and leadership participation among youth in Ho, arriving at 12%, Local Leadership scored at 15% while the perception of Local Governance scored 49%.
“Only 12% of young people in Ho attended town hall meetings in the past year, and youth occupy merely 14.7% (3 out of 34) of available positions in the local assembly.”
It also said there are not enough parks and green spaces for play and relaxation for young people in the municipality, the available ones lack security, seating areas, and proper maintenance among others.
“The Availability and conditions of Parks and green spaces in the municipality for play and relaxation for young people within the city are lacking”
It therefore suggests an investment and improvements of parks and green spaces in the municipality.
The report also says the participation of youth in civic advocacy through demonstration and protest is low, the low score indicates barriers hindering the participation of young people in civic activities in the municipality.
It called on civil society and organizations to improve and promote youth engagements in the municipality to amplify the voices of the youth in local governance and decision-making
For health, the reports say young people in Ho had an overall positive health outlook in 2023, a score of 7.37 out of 11 points, representing 67% of the total possible score. Indicating a positive assessment of the health domain, suggesting a relatively favorable state of health among young people in Ho.
The report which throws a spotlight on young people in the Ho Municipality is an initiative developed by a consortium made up of Node Eight Foundation, Love Aid Foundation, Ho Municipal Assembly, and the Ghana Education Service.
The report is a key component of the Healthy Cities for Adolescent Program – II, funded by Fondation Botnar and managed by Ecorys Ltd.
