The Ghana Federation of Forest & Farm Producers (GhaFFaP) has joined millions across the world to celebrate the 2023 International Youth Skills Day which falls every 12^th of August on the Theme: Green Skills for Youth: Towards a sustainable world.

A statement issued in Tamale (Ghana) by the Federation’s National President, Hajia Alima Sagito-Saeed on behalf of GhaFFaP said the Youth segment of our population continues to be a very critical component for achieving diversified green resilience landscapes.

In view of this, conscious effort should be made in assisting young people to acquire the requisite green skills that will make them useful and productive to themselves and the environment. This will enable Young people especially women youth to be less dependent on Social Protections schemes /interventions and thereby contribute meaningfully to sustainable green economic recovery.

Young people are often more open to new green technologies, as they tend to be more comfortable with experimentation, hands-on learning, and positive risk-taking. This includes the use of information technologies, exploration of new niches in the green value chains, and the integration of new farming practices, value additions and product aggregations

The youth may have social capital and tend to have more diverse social networks. Providing the youth with wider range of new ideas, approaches, and green value chain opportunities especially access to finance will empower a productive youth movement critical of sustainable development. There is the need for paradigm shift in social protection interventions to include social protection credit/finance schemes targeting the productive youth groups that in the long term will reduce social protection dependency challenges.

As we celebrate World Youth Skills Day(12 August), GhaFFaP recognizes effective gender and youth mainstreaming as a critical step towards an inclusive forest and farm business. To this end, GhaFFaP strives to develop gender and youth sensitive green value chains that successfully integrate women and youth working together towards developing mutually beneficially forest and farm value chains. GhaFFaP as part of its youth strategy strives to ensure that its internal business incubation teams include youth advocates, youth mentors and youth coaches that drive and motivate its members’ youth members as critical mass for diversified climate resilient livelihoods and landscapes.

GhaFFaP is fully committed to empowering women youth in acquiring the needed green skills towards achieving integrated Forest landscapes. Together, we can shape a greener landscape where no youth are left behind.

Issued by:

Hajia Alima Sagito-Saeed (President Ghana Federation of Forest and Farm Producers (GhaFFaP)

12^th August 2023