The Youth Employment Agency (YEA) has come forward to refute allegations that it spent GH¢9 million on a youth training program for turkey berry production.
Malik Basintale, CEO of the agency, strongly dismissed these claims as false and misleading during an interview with Asempa FM.
According to Basintale, no funds have been disbursed for any turkey berries-related initiative since he assumed leadership at YEA. He clarified that although a proposal was submitted by a private company suggesting the training of young people in processing turkey berries into products such as tea bags and spices, the project was never approved nor implemented.
Basintale explained that the proposal, which aimed to train about 2,000 youth at a cost of GH¢4,500 per person, was never formalized into a contract. “While the idea to train youth in turkey berry production was interesting, no agreement was reached, and no funds were allocated for the program,” he stated.
In a statement released by YEA’s Corporate Affairs Directorate, the agency reaffirmed that no turkey berry-related project has been undertaken, urging the public to disregard the misleading claims. Basintale further emphasized that under his administration, the agency has remained transparent and open to various proposals, but has not committed any resources to the turkey berries project.
“There was never any allocation of funds for this supposed initiative, and no training has taken place under our programme. It is important for the public to understand that the proposal was never approved,” Basintale added.
The statement also pointed out that despite the promising nature of the proposal, no concrete actions or agreements have been made, dismissing the claims as nothing more than empty promises.
Metrotvonline
