…as agency to train 6,000 insurance agents
By Eugene Davis
The CEO of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), Kofi Agyepong, has underscored the importance of investing in the youth which he reckons remain the smartest move to secure the country’s future.
Speaking at the launch of the training and employment of over 6,000 insurance agents in Accra on Tuesday, he said “Investing in the youth today, is the smartest move to secure the country’s future. The YEA remains committed to providing the necessary platform that will lead to job creation and to equip the youth to become change agents.
In line with its mandate, the government through the YEA alone has created almost 25,000 direct jobs and over 60,000 indirect jobs in the last nine months. These are direct jobs backed by verifiable data. Data is data. We have the capacity to create more jobs and we will make it possible for the youth to enjoy a better Ghana.” he said.
The training is expected to commence next Monday, May 8, 2023.
Further he stated, “Today, we are here to launch what we may call “Youth in Insurance”. This project seeks to train and employ at least 6,000 youth to serve in various capacities with insurance companies across the country. This shows the government’s commitment to reducing unemployment among the youth in Ghana.”
Under the current management, the YEA has been able to achieve the following, recruitment of 6,000 Community Health Workers, recruitment of 15,000 Community Protection Assistants, recruitment of 500 Prisons Service Assistants, recruitment of 800 artisans for the INZAG Project, ongoing recruitment of about 5,000 farm workers for the Cocobod/Afarinick Cocoa Plant Treatment Programme.
The Director of the Ghana Insurance College, Richard Okyere said that the training will ensure that agents will be provided with the necessary knowledge and skille in Insurance to execute their duties.
He noted that it is essential to establish a level of excellence to ensure that consumers receive the highest level of service and expertise.
“The Insurance Agents Certification programme is a comprehensive programme set up to evaluate and certify insurance agents based on their skills, knowledge and ethical practices” he explained.
The Director stated that the agents will undergo a rigorous assessment process which will distinguish them as leaders committed to delivering exceptional services.
He noted that trainees upon a successful completion of the programme will be posted to the insurance industry where they will further recieve concrete training based on their product lines and businesses.
Richard Okyere urged the youth to embrace the opportunity to embark on the journey of certification and to position themselves for future leadership roles.
Head of Reinsurance and Anti-Money-laundering at the National Insurance Commission, Esther Armah, said that the theme for the launch ‘Building a sustainable future, creating opportunities for the youth through insurance’ is timely.
According to her, the theme aligns perfectly with the Commission’s project of of training 10,000 youth as insurance sales agent launched in 2019.
She noted that the training has an objective to create insurance awareness and also grant the youth an opportunity to develop a career in Insurance.
Esther Armah indicated that research has revealed that insurance coverage is increasing exponentially.
“Insurance Coverage where the number of people who have some form of insurance, currently stands at 44.6% from a previously recorded figure of 29% in December 2019” she stated.
She added that similarly, confidence in insurance has increased from 60% to 78% as of December 2021 and this statistics places Ghana next to South Africa.
Ms.Armah said that the training programme will serve the personal needs of the working class and help build the National economy.
She advised the youth to engage the various resource persons during the training as they stand a chance of learning more.
