Former minister calls for more education for the youth

Accra, Aug. 15, GNA - Alaji Abubakar Siddique Boniface, a Former Minister of Manpower Youth and Employment has called on parents to make child education a top priority for a secured future both for the children and the country. "The best legacy a parent can bequeath to a child is education, the absence of this will put children in the unemployment pool," he said.

He made the call over the weekend in Accra at a youth empowerment workshop aimed at empowering the youth in Zongo communities for national development.

The workshop was held as part of activities to celebrate the International Youth Day which seeks to promote the positive works of the youth, as well as to raise funds for the United Youth Support Fund and various youth organizations.

Alaji Boniface stated that there was the need to focus on quality education which would be instrumental in the pursuit of the common good, peace, unity, environmental security and to sustain growth and improve the quality of life of the people.

"Let the idealism, dynamism, talents and dreams of the youth serve as the living fountain that will nourish and sustain the youth to live and survive productivity with dignity and pride," he said. He noted that unemployment had become a major problem that had forced many youth to seek better opportunities in urban areas but ended up being paid as thugs for political parties not because of ideological compatibility, but for survival.

The former minister said the youth therefore needed to be connected to family, adults, peers and organizations in their community and be transformed by learning opportunities in school and the communities.

Hajia Sa-Adatu Mohammed, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), urged Muslim youth to serve as ambassadors of Islam which portrayed peace and to avoid questionable behaviour, focusing on positive ideas. She entreated the youth to help in mobilizing resources to assist other needy ones to have access to education and to master certain skills to become useful to the nation.