NYEP Pays Arrears Of Personnel

By Edmund Mingle

Tuesday, 12 February 2008

Payment of arrears owed the personnel of the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) has begun throughout the country.

So far Regional coordniator’s in six regions have received cheques for the payment of the three months allowances for October, November and December 2007, while coordinators in the remaining regions are expected to receive their cheques this week, a source close to Nana Akomea, Minister of Manpower, Youth and Employment told the Times.

The source said the disbursement process was gradual but was optimistic that all the personnel would have their monies by the end of the week.

The payment of the arrears comes after agitations from the personnel against the delays in the payment of their allowances.

At present, 108,000 youths are serving under the programme and GH¢ 6,400,000 is required monthly to pay them.

It urged the personnel to be patient since it was not the fault of the sector ministry nor the Finance Ministry to have the payments delayed. It said because the funding agencies of the programme release funds on quarterly basis, the ministry has no option than to wait and pay them after three months.

The programme is funded from the GETFund, HIPC fund, National Health Insurance Scheme and the Assemblies Common Fund.

Nana Akomea recently explained that the delay in paying the allowances was due to inbuilt arrears in the funding arrangement.

He said because these statutory agencies disburse the NYEP share of funding of their total revenue on quarterly basis, the programme is affected if one of them encounters a problem.