The review process of the National Youth Development Authority (NYDA) Act 2014, which was conducted very recently in the city of Lae for the Momase region, was done with the aim to amend the Act to align it with the revised National Youth Policy (NYP) 2020 to 2030.
The purpose of the Act review is to identify and remove impediments in the NYDA Act and introduce amendments that will foster effective youth service delivery at the sub-national level and creating legal pathways for youth service providers to anchor youth interventions within the legal ambit.
The current NYDA Act and the NYP are key statutory apparatus that guide youth service delivery at all levels, hence it is only fitting that the two synergize and align in all aspects.
The amended Act will bestow more authority on the NYDA to regulate youth service providers so that the government has visibility on youth programs delivered by donor partners and stakeholders.
The Minister for Youth, Religion and Community Development, Jason Peter, who officiated at the workshop, highlighted that youth issues need to be appreciated by all partners and stakeholders and forge a working alliance to manage youth issues in every setting.
“Youth is described as a ‘time bomb’ in many gatherings. When are we going to defuse the time bomb? If we do not have appropriate interventions to defuse the time bomb, the time bomb will erupt in 5 to 10 years’ time, and we will be victims one way or another.”
He further mentioned that the challenge is how to navigate the way forward to tackle the issues. Thus, the focus of the workshop was to identify legal and administrative loopholes that impede youth service delivery, and institute change for positive youth development in the country.
The minister looks forward to presenting the amended Act to the National Executive Council (NEC) after all consultations.
Meanwhile, the other three regional workshops will convene soon.