Vice-president Mahamudu Bawumia has commended the Konkomba Youth Association (KOYA) for establishing the Konkomba Education Endowment Fund, to promote education. 

Speaking at the launch of the Konkomba Education Endowment Fund in Accra on Sunday, Dr Bawumia said the initiative is a laudable one, which will go a long way to promote the education of not only Konkomba youth, but Ghanaian youth in general. 

"I commend the eminent Konkomba chiefs, the Konkomba Youth Association (KOYA), the Konkomba Development Committee (KDC), and all the good people of Kikpakpaan for this great initiative that has brought us together," Dr Bawumia said. 

"It is a great milestone toward the development of the youth of Konkomba." 

Dr Bawumia said in choosing to establish the fund, the Konkomba youth have chosen a path the Akufo-Addo believes in, that is investing in the education of the youth, and the development of human capital, which he said are sure ways to propel the country up. 

"I am excited about this initiative and by extension, any such laudable initiative geared toward the development of the human capital of our citizenry." 

"It is hard for any country to achieve sustainable economic development without a substantial investment in human capital. Education enriches people’s understanding of themselves and the world. It improves the quality of their lives and leads to broad social benefits."         

"His Excellency, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and I are passionate about the youth. Our government’s ceaseless efforts at building a data-driven, digital economy are aimed at improving resource mobilisation and efficient public administration that will maximise resource-use for the benefit of the youth and all." 

"Our country is, indeed, blessed with a youthful population. It is, therefore, our collective responsibility to educate, empower and prepare them for the increasingly complex and competitive job market”. 

Dr Bawumia enumerated a number of educational interventions and youth development programmes the Akufo-Addo government has initiated, including expanding access to senior secondary school as well as technical and vocational education, expansion of educational infrastructure, restoration of teacher trainee allowance, recruitment of more teachers, expansion of access to scholarship through digitisation. 

Dr Bawumia added that despite the large number of scholarships awarded year on year, not all qualified applicants are successful because of increased numbers, adding that the government’s efforts in the promotion of education need to be complemented by philanthropists, non-governmental organisations, development partners, proactive social groups, private sector actors. 

"I, therefore, have no doubt that the Konkomba Education Endowment Fund (KEEF) is a step in the right direction." 

After the official launch, Dr Bawumia donated GHS100,000 to the Fund.