The government has earmarked GH¢84million to enhance the activities of the local Enterprises and Skill Development Programme (LESDEP) in 2012, the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, has said.
He said the money would go a long way to ensure that the youth, especially those from poor and vulnerable sections of society, were afforded the opportunity to avail themselves of entrepreneurial programmes of the scheme.
Mr Ofosu-Ampofo, who announced this at the graduation ceremony of 1,000 beneficiaries of the programme in Accra on Wednesday, further explained that the facility would afford the operators of the scheme the opportunity to roll out more modules for the benefit of the people.
The graduands, drawn from the Accra metropolis, underwent training in laptop and mobile phone assembling and repairs, catering, fashion designing, photography and farm gate transport services.
The rest are constructional services such as blockmaking, labour intensive road maintenance, aquaculture, honey production, beadmaking and mobile car washing services.
According to the minister, the government was exploring avenues to cater for more professional and middle income personnel to reduce to the barest minimum graduate unemployment in the country.
“Indeed, my ministry, under the auspices of the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS), together with the Graduate Unemployment Association, is organising an entrepreneurial forum to empower unemployed graduates,” he said.
The minister also said the ministry would embark on an internship programme for post-national service personnel to be engaged by the entire metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to do 'an additional one year internship programme in various areas where the assemblies lacked the requisite manpower.
That, he said, was to ensure that professionals such as accountants, quantity surveyors, building technologists, architects and civil engineers were absorbed by the assemblies.
Mr Ofosu-Ampofo said it was the expectation of the ministry that on the average between 10 and 20 professionals would be engaged in all the assemblies across the country.
He encouraged the graduands to work hard in the coming months to justify the investment made in them by the government and also pass on their knowledge to others in their respective communities.
“It is now time to apply all the trade, skills and entrepreneurial insights you have acquired over the period. Embrace the culture of continuous improvement and never allow your businesses to die,” he told them.
The beneficiaries were presented with equipment to ply their trades in their respective communities.
Source: Daily Graphic/Ghana
| Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. |
