Stakeholders attend Dialogue on Youth Employment

Busua (W/R) Oct.05, GNA - The University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) at Tarkwa is to establish a Faculty of Marine Engineering in Sekondi. Mr Philip Kwesi Nkrumah, Shama-Ahanta East Metropolitan Chief Executive who announced this said negotiations were on-going for the University to take over the Ghana Railway Training School and Location for the Faculty.

Mr Nkrumah who was speaking at a dialogue on youth unemployment at Busua near Takoradi on Tuesday, said the University was in addition, considering using facilities at Training School for courses related to the railway industry.

The dialogue was organised by The Institute For Democratic Governance (IDEG) in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA). It was on the theme "Civic Participation in Poverty Reduction". Participants were drawn from the Shama-Ahanta East Metropolis, Mpohor Wassa East and Nzema East Districts.

Mr Nkrumah said the University would also establish agriculture and wood faculties outside Tarkwa.

He said the Shama-Ahanta East Metropolitan Assembly (SAEMA) had planned to establish Youth Information centres at Sekondi and Takoradi to enable the youth access information on employment opportunities. Mr Nkrumah said the Assembly had realised that most of the youth were not aware of youth employment programmes.

He said the recovery rate of loans given out to the youth under the Assembly's poverty alleviation fund was low and the Assembly was working hard to improve the situation.

Mrs Olivia Opoku-Adomah, Western Regional Economic Planning Officer, said efforts were being made to discourage the youth from engaging in "galamsey" and instead directed them into gainful employments. She said the Aowin-Suaman, Wassa-Amenfi East and Bia districts had been made pilot areas for the Western Regional Farmers Housing Scheme.

Mrs Opoku-Adomah said graduates of Takoradi Polytechnic would be engaged for the scheme.

Dr Lehiohonolo Tiou, Research Fellow at IDEG, said it was important that people deliberated on national issues to deepen the country's democracy.

She said people expressed their views on national issues only on radio programmes and fora created by the Government. Dr Tiou said a broad spectrum of people must participate in discussions on national issues for the country's democracy to be meaningful. She said it was for this reason that the IDEG had set up Governance Issues Forum in the Regions and the Districts to promote "Deliberative Democracy".

Dr Tiou said IDEG had so far, trained 500 people in the techniques of deliberative democracy. 05 Oct.05