GOVT ALLOCATE FUNDS FOR REFURBISHMENT OF TAMALE YOUTH CENTRE

GOVT ALLOCATE FUNDS FOR REFURBISHMENT OF TAMALE YOUTH CENTRE

The Northern Regional Minister has announced that as part of government’s agenda to empower the youth in the region, an amount of GH¢170, 000.00 (1.7 billion old cedis) has been made available for the refurbishment of the Tamale Youth Centre.

Moses Bukari Mabengba, said work on the project would soon begin and is expected to be completed in January, 2011.

The minister who was addressing various youth groups at this year’s regional youth dialogue meeting in Tamale, the Northern Regional capital, urged the youth to take their rightful place and make informed contributions towards the socio-economic development of the country.

The National Youth Council (NYC), organizers of the meeting has over the past four years dedicated an annual youth dialogue forum to engage the youth and important stakeholders in discussing critical youth-based issues and challenges.

This year’s forum, under the theme: “Building Regional Capacities For Youth Mobilisation And Effective Coordination In A Better Ghana Agenda”, will enable participants to develop skills that would enable them put up with, and tolerate their peers, groups or communities despite their differences and desist from resorting to violence at the least provocation.

Mr. Mabengba thus, underscored the need for the youth to target and promote strategies that would enhance their capacities and cater for their basic need as well as ensure adequate protection of themselves and strengthen their communities.

The Northern Regional Coordinator of the NYC, Ziblim Abubakari Shaibu, appealed to the youth in the area to help maintain the current fragile peace they are enjoying.

He also urged radio stations in the Tamale Metropolis to play positive roles by inculcating good morals into the youth and discourage the use of vulgar language on the airwaves especially during live discussions and phone-in programmes since the astronomical increase of moral decadence associated with a section of the youth in Tamale and the country at large, was due to the use of foul language being used on the airwaves.

A Youth Activist, Abdul-Rahaman Basit in an intervention statement, reiterated calls on the government to fast track the passage of the NYC policy.

According to him, the non-existence of a clear cut policy document for the youth was slowing down a lot of programmes geared towards the empowerment of the country’s youth. Adding, the NYC could not function very well as expected of the youth and government, advocating that when the policy is passed, it should be a binding document to guide the development of the youth and enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the NYC.

Mr. Abdul-Rahaman further suggested that the National Youth Employment Programme which has been politicized and could only favour members of the party in government or the government of the day, should be made to operate under the NYC which has been established to coordinate all activities of the youth of Ghana, to manage the programme. It is the only government agency that seeks to empower the youth in order for them to be agents of change, he stressed.

Meanwhile, the youth activist advised all youth groups in the Northern Region to avoid engaging themselves in political, ethnic, chieftaincy and religious conflicts but instead, promote social cohesion in their respective communities for development to take place.