The Youth Employment Agency (YEA), under the leadership of Chief Executive Officer Malik Basintale, has committed to providing 150 electric vehicles to ride-hailing service Shaxi as part of an upcoming partnership aimed at tackling youth unemployment in Ghana.
The announcement marks a major move toward green transport solutions while simultaneously addressing the country’s pressing employment needs.
“On behalf of my management and staff of YEA, we would make a few proposals to the partnership we seek to create.
“First, is that we have an existing partnership with a private individual who is bringing about one fifty electric vehicles into the country. He was in my office the last time, and he said he was impressed with the work we’re doing, and he had wanted us to find drivers for him”
Malik Basintale, YEA CEO
The soon-to-be formalised partnership was unveiled by Malik Basintale, who explained how the YEA’s existing arrangement with the private individual importing the vehicles would factor into the plan. All 150 units, Basintale confirmed, will be deployed through the Shaxi platform before drivers are selected.
Basintale indicated that his team has already been instructed to ensure the vehicles are first integrated into Shaxi’s operations. He emphasized that this first phase is only one part of a broader plan to build infrastructure and support systems for youth employment through digital platforms.
In line with this, the YEA boss revealed plans to launch what he called an employment bureau, a digital platform that will serve as a connector between job seekers and job creators.
“Once that is created, we would be able to pass some of these drivers that will be in search of vehicles through our employment bureau”
Malik Basintale, YEA CEO
The system is expected to be operational within weeks and will be central in selecting drivers for the new Shaxi vehicles – But beyond job matching, the YEA is also introducing direct financial support.
Every month, for the first 2,000 car owners who register their vehicles with Shaxi, the agency will provide a fuel coupon worth 500 cedis for six months. This incentive, according to Basintale, is designed to attract more young drivers and car owners into the initiative.
“That is an additional incentive to anybody who registers with Shaxi, so if you have a car, the portal will be opened, come through, register with Shaxi,” he said.
He added that, as a sign of his personal endorsement and commitment, he would assume the role of brand ambassador for Shaxi at no cost, a move he described as a show of solidarity and belief in the platform’s potential. “We will hype it, we will get people to understand the credentials.”
The YEA boss also echoed sentiments shared by Shaxi founder Charles Nii Armah Mensah, popularly known as Shatta Wale, about the unique advantages the service provides over competing ride-hailing apps.
Shaxi, he noted, was created by a Ghanaian for Ghanaians, and it offers reduced commission rates and lower financial burdens on drivers.
“Shaxi is free of charge for the Ghanaian. You just have to subscribe with something small and once you do that, you work for a duration, and then you don’t pay anything”
Malik Basintale, YEA CEO
He concluded by encouraging young people and car owners to take full advantage of the partnership, which he described as an opportunity not only to earn but to be part of a larger movement rooted in national pride and economic empowerment.
“Particularly so because it is made in Ghana and owned by a Ghanaian. Not just any Ghanaian, but a powerful leader, 1Don,” he added. With the electric vehicles soon arriving and digital employment frameworks underway, the partnership between YEA and Shaxi signals a bold step in merging innovation, entrepreneurship, and social policy to address Ghana’s employment challenges.
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