Inadequate recreational and counselling centres cause of conflicts

Tamale, April 12, GNA - A Tamale based non-governmental organisation (NGO), has called for the need for Northern Ghana to get a number of recreational and counselling centres as a means of solving the rampant conflicts in the area.

Mr. Nelson Sulemana Nyadia, Programmes Co-ordinator of the Youth Empowerment for Life (YEfL) who made the call also advocated the need for peace surveillance units and other interventions in the North to engage the youth positively to minimise the conflicts. He made the call on Saturday at a day's seminar to launch the Strategy and Constitution of YEfL- a document, aimed at mobilising the youth in Northern Region to influence local and regional policies to promote their interests.

The NGO emerged from the Youth Forum concept, which was meant to motivate and give the youth the voice to express their views freely on issues affecting them.

YEfL also aims at engaging the youth in economic ventures and advise them on how to be productive while giving support to those who had innovative ideas to be self-employed.

The programme is operating in six districts in the region, where satellite centres are being established and equipped with recreational facilities such as video and cinema facilities for the youth to gather and share ideas on development and business programmes. Mr. Nyadia said the youth required a supportive, participatory and informative environment to progress successfully and depart from dependency to become responsible.

He said the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions continued to be afflicted by chronic poverty, while the youth were confronted with major challenges such as unemployment, increasing crime, breakdown of family system, hunger, disease and drug abuse. Mr. Nyadia commended the Danish International Development Agency and Ghana Denmark Friendship organisation for their continuous support to YEfL.

Mr. Abass Salifu, President of the Youth League in Tamale advised the youth not to allow themselves to be used by unscrupulous persons to achieve their selfish aim. He said there was the need for the youth to operate in an atmosphere of peace to ensure development instead of engaging in acts that would derail the progress of the nation.