By Dennis Peprah, GNA
Adentia, (Bono), Jan. 5, GNA – Obrempong Kwasi Boanu, the Kyidomhene (sub-chief) of Adentia, a farming community in the Sunyani West Municipality of the Bono Region has performed a groundbreaking ceremony for work to commence on the construction of an ultra-modern youth training centre in the area.
The CHEAPO DEPO, a group of Ghanaians based in Israel is putting up the center, expected to be completed by June this year.
On completion, the facility will offer free employable skill training to ex drug addicts and peddlers in particular and to facilitate their successful reintegration into society.
They will be trained in driving, sewing, masonry, carpentry, body makeup, soap making, auto-mechanic, welding and fabrication as well as painting.
Speaking at a short ceremony at Adentia, Obrempong Boanu said he lobbied for the project and had provided acres of land for the construction of the project.
He expressed concern about the growing youth employment in the country, which was fueling substance abuse, teenage pregnancy and armed robbery, threatening national security.
He noted that the government alone could not shoulder the responsibility of creating jobs for the growing youthful population and urged the private sector to do more to absorb the youth and find decent jobs for them to do.
Obrempong Boanu advised the teeming unemployed youth to learn, as the country pushed industrialization, saying artisanal work was lucrative and remained a realistic intervention to tackle unemployment in the country.
He also advised the youth to stay away from substance abuse and pre-marital sex, remain mindful and channel their exuberances into productive ventures and thereby build a better future for themselves and their families.
Mr Innocent Kwarteng, the Leader of the CHEAPO DEPO, said the group sought to identify, and provide employment opportunities for drug addicts and peddlers as well as vulnerable young boys and girls to lessen their vulnerabilities.
He said: “We have come together to support drug addicts and peddlers who are ready to stay away from drugs and live meaningful lives by providing them with the required assistance and creating decent jobs for them.”
Mr Kwasi Asante Boateng, the Sunyani West Municipal Chief Executive, lauded the construction of the centre, saying it was aligned with the government’s vision of creating more jobs for the youth.
He commended the group and urged the youth in the area to shun unhealthy lifestyles that could ruin their future, advising them to leverage government’s social intervention programmes to fetch decent jobs for themselves.
GNA
Edited by Benjamin Mensah