Youth Employment Agency rolls out 11 modules in Upper East

The Youth Employment Agency (YEA) is rolling out 11 modules that will create jobs for 5,096 youth in the Upper East Region.

Some of the modules are community policing, fire prevention, health and prisons.

The measure is aimed at addressing youth unemployment in the Upper East Region which is one of the poorest in the country.

The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Albert Abongo, made this known at the ‘People’s Forum’ in Bolgatanga recently.

Organised by the Ministry of Communications, the event was aimed at engaging the people to participate in the development agenda of the government and offer the citizens the opportunity to ask ministers of state to explain issues of concern to them.

According to Mr Abongo, about 1,910 of the youth had been trained and deployed under the community policing, health and prisons modules, while 122 others were undergoing training in fire prevention.

Policing 

The Deputy Minister of the Interior, Mr James Agalga, who was also at the forum, said the security situation in the country and the Upper East Region in particular was "calm and peaceful".

He said between 2001 and 2008, a little over 500 vehicles were provided for the Ghana Police Service while from 2008 to date, the government had provided 1,500 vehicles to it.

This, Mr Agalga noted, had helped to improve police visibility and the proactiveness of the police service.

He acknowledged that there had been a marginal increase in the spate of armed robberies but said the various regional commanders had been instructed to step up highway patrols in their respective regions.

He said to address the increasing armed robbery cases there was the need for the public to volunteer information to "smoke out people of suspicious character."

Touching on this year’s general election, Mr Agalga said a National Election Task Force had been formed and that political vigilante groups would not be tolerated during the electioneering.

He said under President Mahama's administration, 126 fire engines had been provided for the Ghana National Fire Service.

According to him, over the years, the Ghana Prisons Service had grappled with inadequate facilities and logistics but "in the Upper East Region, negotiations are far advanced to establish a prison facility to augment the two existing ones at Bawku and Navrongo."

The deputy interior minister stated that 3,000 youth would be recruited into the security services to deal with youth unemployment.

For her part, the Deputy Minister of Transport, Mrs Joyce Bawah Mogtari, stated that 495 buses had been procured for the Metro Mass Transit Limited in order to subsidise the cost of transport for the public.

She said the Intercity State Transport Company had also improved its services to the West African sub-region.        

Open forum

During an open forum, some of the residents in  the region questioned the government over delays in the rehabilitation of the Bolgatanga-Bawku road while others expressed concern about the lack of sports facilities.

According to them, although Bolgatanga had a sports stadium, its rehabilitation had been on the drawing board for years. 

Other participants expressed displeasure at the government’s failure to ensure that all school pupils were provided with adequate classroom furniture.