By Kingsley Mamore
Dambai (O/R), Sept 19, GNA – Mr Nelson Kofi Djabab, Member of Parliament (MP) for Krachi East Constituency, has said skills training and employment opportunities for young people are helping to reduce their vulnerability to commercial sex work, illicit drug use and other social challenges.
He said equipping young people, particularly unemployed women, with employable skills and start-up support could provide them with alternative and dignified means of livelihood and enable them to become economically self-reliant.
Mr Djabab made the remarks at Dambai during the presentation of start-up items by Mr Adamu Sako, Municipal Director of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), Krachi East, to beneficiaries who had undergone skills training under the Agency.
The items were presented to enable the beneficiaries to establish or expand their businesses and apply the skills acquired during the training to generate sustainable incomes.
Mr Djabab said youth unemployment remained a significant challenge that required concerted efforts from the Government, private sector, traditional authorities, civil society organisations and other stakeholders.
He said when young people, especially women, lacked viable livelihood opportunities, they could become vulnerable to various forms of economic and social exploitation as they struggled to meet their basic needs.
“By providing them with practical skills and the necessary support to establish their own businesses, we are giving them an opportunity to earn a decent livelihood and build a more secure future,” he said.
The MP said the YEA intervention was therefore not only about providing employment opportunities but also about developing the productive capacity of young people and positioning them to participate meaningfully in the local economy.
He noted that beneficiaries who acquired skills in areas such as tailoring, hairdressing, catering, beauty care and other vocational trades could gradually develop their businesses, create employment for others and contribute to the socio-economic development of their communities.
Mr Djabab encouraged the beneficiaries to regard the items as an investment in their future and use them responsibly to develop sustainable enterprises.
He urged them to demonstrate commitment, discipline and innovation in their respective trades and take advantage of opportunities to upgrade their skills.
He said the success of youth development programmes depended largely on the ability of beneficiaries to translate the training received into productive economic activities.
The MP also called for stronger collaboration among relevant institutions to provide continuous mentoring, access to markets and other forms of support to young entrepreneurs to enable them to sustain and expand their businesses.
He said empowering young people economically would help build resilient communities and create an environment in which they could pursue productive livelihoods rather than become vulnerable to social vices.
Mr Adamu Sako, Municipal YEA Director told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that more than 62 beneficiaries had received the first phase of the start-up items following their completion of the skills training programme.
He urged the beneficiaries to make good use of the items and apply the skills acquired to establish sustainable livelihoods.
Mr Sako said the Agency would continue to monitor the beneficiaries and assess their progress to ensure that the support provided achieved its intended purpose.
He cautioned beneficiaries who failed to use the items and skills acquired to provide the required services or engage productively in their respective trades that they could risk losing their engagement under the programme.
He encouraged them to demonstrate seriousness and commitment, stressing that the ultimate objective was to equip them to become productive and economically independent.
Some beneficiaries who spoke to the GNA expressed gratitude to the YEA and the Krachi East Municipal Assembly for support.
They said the start-up items would complement the skills they had acquired and provide them with the means to establish or strengthen their businesses.
They assured the authorities that they would use the items judiciously to improve their livelihoods and contribute to the development of the Municipality.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/Kenneth Odeng Adade