NTHC to introduce financial literacy programme for youth
The National Trust Holding Company (NTHC) is to introduce a financial literacy programme this year to encourage the youth to cultivate the habit of good financial choices and planning.
The financial literacy programme is expected to reach more than half a million teenagers and young adults from the second cycle and tertiary institutions.
Many teenagers and young adults often lack knowledge about the full financial costs of decisions they make and are exposed to poor examples of personal economics by parents who were not taught responsible financial practices.
Mr Frank Apanka, the Acting Managing Director of NTHC, said the company had identified this gap and had taken steps to equip young Ghanaians with the confidence and knowledge they need to take control of their finances, leading to financially-secured adult lives.
“We all go through key stages of our life through schooling, marriage, building careers and retire. It is imperative that we plan, start small and meet commitments as they come.”
“NTHC aims to drive this culture among the youth. Every stage of life comes with some financial commitment and, therefore, requires a financial plan. NTHC has 40 years of experience and we believe this is one way of achieving sustainable investment banking,” Mr Apanka said.
He said in these times of market volatilities and upsurge in get-rich-quick schemes, it was imperative for the youth to have good financial judgement and insight.
The programme will take the form of workshop modules employing practical, everyday examples to bring concepts to life to prepare students financially for life after school.
It will be run throughout the country beginning in Accra and is expected to take off in the third quarter of this year.
“As the company turns 40 years in 2016, we are determined to be more significant socially and help increase the number of people making sound financial decisions. The financial literacy programme is in line with these plans,” he said.
Mr Apanka said: “We are not just targeting people who can bring us huge sums of money for short-term investments; we are particularly targeting people who will painstakingly learn to build investments over a period of time.
“This is to expand on one of our fundamental tenets of growing investments on sustainability lines rather than just quick yield.”
The NTHC 40-year anniversary celebration starts from Friday, June 24, 2016 with a launch and the commissioning of its new head office building at Ringway Estates.
The NTHC was established in 1976 and continues to play a pioneering role in the development of the capital markets in Ghana.
Source: GNA