Konongo (Ash), Sept. 7, GNA - About 650 youths have so far been registered under the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) in the Asante-Akim North District.
The programme, which is designed to provide employment opportunities for unemployed and under-employed youth suffered initial apathy from the public apparently stemming from a similar registration exercise in 2001, which supposedly yielded no results. It is, however, gaining significant patronage following the benefits that those registered have started receiving in the various modules adopted by the District.
The District is currently engaged in seven out of the 10 modules including youth in agriculture, youth in vocations and trade, sanitation and waste management corps, community protection, information communication technology (ICT) and auxiliary health assistants. Mr. Augustine Akomea Nyantakyi, District Co-ordinator of the programme, who disclosed these to the Ghana News Agency at Konongo on Wednesday, said the District was considering adopting the attachment in internship module in addition to the existing seven.
He said out of the number registered 30 per cent opted for the auxiliary health assistant's module, 30 per cent for community teaching, and 20 per cent for ICT, 10 per cent for agriculture and sanitation with 10 per cent constituting the remaining modules. Mr. Nyantakyi further noted that 160 youths were already into vegetable farming, 25 in waste management and 20 in real sanitation, adding that 50 had been approved to be trained under the auxiliary health assistant's module.
He observed that though the programme experienced low patronage initially, it was gradually making significant impact and urged the youth in the District to take advantage to assist government in reducing the unemployment in the country.
