To that effect, he said, the youth were losing out on jobs, especially in the artisanal sector to artisans from neighbouring countries. 

“You want the best of masons to put up a building for you, you want the best of P.O.P done for you in your house, you want the best of plumbers to fix your pipes, and even painting, and you are directed to artisans from Togo because they deliver the best of these services,” he said. 

 Mr Agyepong has, therefore, called for a change in the pattern of investments to ensure that more resources go into enhancing the Technical and vocational skills “that will stay with our youth forever.” 

Speaking at the 2022 Job Fair in Sunyani, he said the situation was so dire that he doubted the capacity of the YEA to find young competent technicians in large numbers to fill up job vacancies that may be available.   

“I have been asking myself since I took over the agency if Tullow Ghana Limited asks me to supply them with 200 trained and certified electricians today, will I be able to provide them? If AngloGold Ashanti requests YEA to provide them with 500 trained and certified industrial machine engineers, will I be able to provide them? 

“If the Ghana Water Company requests 100 trained and certified plumbers for employment today, can I provide them?” he said. 

He commended the Ghanaian-German Centre for Jobs, Migration and Reintegration (GCC) together with the GIZ, who through the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development has organised the fair.  

He further commended the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations for their continuous support in reducing the unemployment rate in the country. 

The CEO also urged young job seekers, while being relentless in their job hunt, to continuously upgrade their skills as they aspire to achieve their dreams. 

“Take every advantage of the fair and reach out to as many employers as you can. I entreat you to treat this event as just what it is: a job fair, not some sort of funfair,” he added. 

Mr Agyepong replaces Justin Frimpong Kodua who has been elected General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party.

His appointment was announced in a statement signed by the Secretary to the President, Nana Asante Bediatuo.

The statement noted his appointment takes effect from Wednesday, August 10, 2022, pending advice from the YEA governing board in consultation with the Public Services Commission.

Mr Agyepong, prior to his appointment, was a Deputy Director of Communications at the Presidency.

Attached below is the statement:

The two are to assist Eugene Arhin in his role as Director of Communications at the Presidency.

Until their appointments, Mr Agyapong was a Deputy Director of Communications at the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Headquarters in charge of Media Relations, whilst Mr Sackey was Head of Media Production at the Jubilee House.

About Jefferson Sackey

Mr Sackey is a multiple award-winning Ghanaian journalist, Media Consultant, Film Maker, and PR Strategist who served as the Media Relations Officer to the Foreign Ministry, while Nana Akufo-Addo served as Ghana’s Foreign Minister during President Kufuor’s administration.

His professional media career started with TV Africa in Accra as a news reporter, travelling to conflict zones around Africa and bringing out stories on his programme ‘International Assignment’.

He served as the West African Correspondent for the German media giant DW-TV for close to four years and was a contributor to CNN world View in Liberia.

In 2011, he was hired by the Multimedia group to help boost its listenership on the Midday News, having served the network with special reports.

In 2015, he was appointed the Vice President of Afroglobal Television in Canada, having won the 2015 Planet Africa Award for Excellence.

Mr Sackey has been the brain behind much of the President’s media image, especially when it comes to video documentaries.

His 2008 Docie ‘Pushing the Ghanaian and African Agenda’ revealed then candidate Akufo-Addo’s significant role in the J. A. Kufuor government as Foreign Minister, as a mediator of conflicts in war-torn countries around the world, pushing the Ghanaian agenda internationally including conflicts in Lebanon, Liberia and Ivory Coast.

Ahead of the just ended 2020 elections, he led in the production of a number of series including ‘The First Term, Story of a Working President’ and ‘Leadership of Service, The Story so Far’ which uniquely told the success stories of government.

Until his new appointment, Mr Sackey served as a Technical Advisor and Head of Productions at the Jubilee House and also presented a weekly TV series ‘The Presidential Diary’ which highlights the president’s weekly activities.

Mr Sackey is a product of Accra High School, the Ghana Institute of Journalism, and the Deutsche Welle Institute in Berlin, as well as the Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing.

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About Kofi Agyapong

Mr Agyapong, a well-known personality in the Ghanaian media, is a political communication consultant and NPP stalwart.

He is a graduate of Leicester University in the United Kingdom (UK), where he obtained a Master of Arts degree in media and public relations in 2019.

Between 2008 and 2010, Mr Agyapong attended the Africa University College of Communications, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication studies in 2010.

He previously attended Kumasi High School between 2000 and 2002, where he obtained his Senior High School certificate.

As a qualified, university-trained journalist, Mr Agyapong was a prolific writer for the Graphic Sports newspaper in Ghana and the Guardian in the UK.

He is a member of the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA), which is the world’s largest professional PR body.