The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has commended the Konkomba Youth Association (KOYA) for establishing the Konkomba Education Endowment Fund, to promote education.

Speaking at the launch of the Fund in Accra on Sunday, Dr Bawumia said, the initiative is a laudable one, which will go a long way to promote the education of not only Konkomba Youth , but Ghanaian youth in general.

“I commend the eminent Konkomba Chiefs, the Konkomba Youth Association (KOYA), the Konkomba Development Committee (KDC), and all the good people of Kikpakpaan for this great initiative that has brought us together” Dr. Bawumia said.

“It is a great milestone towards the development of the youth of Konkomba,” he added.

The Vice President said in choosing to establish the fund, the Konkomba youth have chosen a path the Akufo-Addo believes in, that is investing in the education of the youth, and development of human capital, which he said are sure ways to propel the country.

“I am excited about this initiative and by extension, any such laudable initiative geared towards the development of the human capital of our citizenry.”

“It is hard for any country to achieve sustainable economic development without a substantial investment in human capital. Education enriches people’s understanding of themselves and the world. It improves the quality of their lives and leads to broad social benefits.”

“His Excellency, President Nana Akufo-Addo and I are passionate about the youth. Our government’s ceaseless efforts at building a data-driven, digital economy is aimed at improving resource mobilization and efficient public administration that will maximize resource-use for the benefit of the youth and all.”

“Our country is indeed blessed with a youthful population. It is therefore our collective responsibility to educate, empower and prepare them for the increasingly complex and competitive job market.

Dr. Bawumia enumerated a number of educational interventions and youth development programmes the Akufo-Addo government has initiated, including expanding access to senior secondary school as well as technical and vocational education, expansion of educational infrastructure, restoration of teacher trainee allowance, recruitment of more teachers, expansion of access to scholarship through digitization.

Dr. Bawumia added that despite the large number of scholarships awarded year on year, not all qualified applicants are successful because of increased numbers, adding that government’s efforts in the promotion of education need be complemented by philanthropists, non-governmental organizations, development partners, proactive social groups, private sector actors.

“I therefore have no doubt that the Konkomba Education Endowment Fund (KEEF) is a step in the right direction,” he noted.

After officially launching the Fund, Dr. Bawumia donated 100,000 Ghana Cedis as seend fund.