The Youth Employment Agency (YEA) is set to establish an Electric Vehicle (EV) Delivery Brigade expected to create more than 10,000 jobs for young Ghanaians across the country. The initiative, being implemented under the leadership of YEA Chief Executive Officer Malik Basintale, will deploy more than 10,000 electric motorcycles to trained beneficiaries and establish a structured delivery service operating across all 16 regions.
The programme is also expected to create supporting jobs and skills opportunities through the establishment of EV battery charging and swapping stations, as well as specialised training in electric vehicle repairs, maintenance and assembly. According to the YEA, the initiative is designed not only to provide employment but also to develop the skills and infrastructure needed to support Ghana’s emerging electric mobility and delivery sector. The planned deployment of electric motorcycles forms part of efforts to create more sustainable employment opportunities for young people while promoting cleaner transportation alternatives.
The announcement has, however, attracted criticism from some quarters, prompting Mr Basintale to defend the initiative in a social media post. Responding to the criticism, he contrasted the cost of the EV programme with expenditure undertaken by the previous administration, while also pointing to the unemployment rate recorded during its tenure. “You were in power for 8-years,” Mr Basintale wrote. He alleged that the previous government spent more than GH¢500 million on a project he described as a “hole”, while presiding over an unemployment rate of more than 14.7 per cent.
“Someone comes and uses less than 10% of that to acquire EV bikes for over 10,000 Youth in a well regulated and structured delivery service system like it’s done in the most advanced countries,” he said. Mr Basintale questioned why the EV initiative was being criticised despite its stated employment objective. “You are there shouting bad policy, bad policy. Maybe the ‘hole’ was the good policy,” he added. The YEA EV Delivery Brigade is expected to combine direct job creation with technical skills development, as beneficiaries will receive training relevant to the operation and maintenance of electric motorcycles.
Beyond the delivery riders, the programme could also generate employment opportunities in battery charging and swapping, vehicle maintenance, repairs and assembly as the supporting infrastructure is rolled out. The nationwide deployment of charging and battery-swapping facilities is expected to provide the infrastructure required to keep the electric delivery fleet operational across the 16 regions. The initiative also signals an attempt by the YEA to move beyond conventional temporary employment schemes by linking youth employment to emerging sectors, including electric mobility and green technology.
The scale, cost and implementation timeline of the programme, including the final number and locations of charging and swapping stations and the number of beneficiaries to be trained in technical roles, are expected to become clearer as the initiative is rolled out.
By: Joyce Owusu
