NYA launches Youth Month, backs 10% tax on lotto, betting

By Christabel Oboshie ANNAN, Accra

The National Youth Authority (NYA) has launched this year’s National Youth Month celebration with call on the public to embrace the 10% withholding tax on all gross gaming winnings.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Youth Authority (NYA), Pius Enam Hadzide, who made the appeal  urged the public to take a holistic view of the general impact and not only its economic factors. 
He said that the NYA has come to a firm conclusion that it is healthy and necessary for  consensus building on matters of national discourse.

The CEO of NYA said this at the launch of this year’s National Youth Month Celebration in Accra to provide opportunities for the youth to advocate for policies and actively engage in matters of national interest.

He noted that the NYA’s position is not driven purely by economic considerations, but rather from the negative impact the phenomenon continues to have on the youth of the country.

He stated that the lure of ‘get rich quick’ at the expense of hard work, and commitment to duty, promotes laziness among those indulging in gambling.

“Many of the young people now spend more time at these betting centres, at the cost of their books and if immediate steps such as the one just taken by government are not taken, it will impinge on their education, thereby derailing the future of these young ones and the development of country in general,” he explained.

Mr Hadzide added that the increasing cases of social vices can also be attributed to the obsession the young ones have developed for betting and many other forms of gambling in general.

He further advised the youth to be circumspect in their choice of words and actions in relation to the 10% withholding tax on all gross gaming winnings.

The National Youth Month celebration provides opportunities for the youth to advocate for  policies and actively engage in matters of national interest.

The celebration also aims to embrace and appreciate the youth of the country as the driving force of progress whose passion, innovation and resilience shape the trajectory of society. 

The theme for this year’s National Youth Month is ‘Breaking Barriers: Creating a Stronger Youth Development Ecosystem’.

Mr Hadzide said that the National Youth Month celebration is an essential platform to facilitate discussions about challenges faced by the youth in the pursuit of their needs, aspirations and dreams.

He stated that the celebration also seeks to provide the youth with mentorship, partnership opportunities, and the requisite resources to flourish and lead the country towards a brighter future.

He noted that this year, the Authority has set out to fully embrace and appreciate the youth of the country as the driving force of progress whose passion, innovation and resilience shape the trajectory of society.

Mr Hadzide added that August 2, NYA held a ‘Start Right’ Youth Seminar, in collaboration with YFM aimed at promoting youth empowerment, mentorship, entrepreneurship, community engagement and career development. 

He noted that the platform facilitated networking and knowledge sharing, as achievers in various fields were given the opportunity to share their experiences with the youth and to inspire them to succeed.

He mentioned that as part of the celebration a joint sitting of the Northern and Upper West Regional Youth Parliament on the motion “A Year of the Implementation of National Youth Policy; Successes, Challenges and Way Forward was held on August 4, in Tamale.

He said the sitting offered youth parliamentarians a platform to deliberate on the progress of implementation of the National Youth Policy and announced that plans are underway to host a larger National Youth Parliament in the precinct of the Parliament House during recess.

The CEO stated that a National Youth Conference will culminate the Youth Month Celebration at the University of Ghana, Legon from August 31 to September 3 under the theme ‘Reformed Youth, Reformed Ghana’.

He noted that the conference will be a collaborative effort between the National Youth Authority and the International Youth Fellowship (IYF) which will bring together 2000 young people from across the country to participate in various youth empowerment activities.