GOVT MUST ADDRESS ISSUES OF UNEMPLOYMENT (SEPT 15, PAGE 15)

AS the Northern Region prepares for its first Town Hall Meeting in Tamale tomorrow, two prominent personalities in the region have said there is the need for the Government to consider addressing issues of unemployment, effective disaster management in case of floods and education challenges.
They noted that the intermittent conflicts in the region could be resolved effectively if the youth were gainfully employed and engaged in more productive ventures.
The Executive Secretary of the Northern Ghana Network for Development (NGND), Mr Ismail Lansah, and the Regional Co-ordinator of the National Youth Council (NYC), Mr Shaibu Ziblim, stated these in separate interviews with the Daily Graphic on their views on the Town Hall Meeting.
The meeting is to promote interaction between office holders and residents as a way of promoting good governance under the current Government.
Mr Lansah, for his part, predicted that although the Dagbon chieftaincy problem and the Issah Mobila case might have engaged the attention of most residents, it should not be allowed to cloud the critical issues such as unemployment and the development of the agricultural sector in the north.
He said that such interactions between office holders and residents were important but stressed that it must not be “cosmetic”.
“We should identify the pressing issues in Tamale and the region as a whole, and ask critical questions such as how best to ensure that residents improve on their living conditions?” Mr Lansah observed.
According to him, idleness results in the youth engaging in conflicts, and that it must be critically looked at.
“Accessibility to market by our farmers is critical as well as what must be done to ensure that the vast stretch of land in the region is put to efficient use” he further stated.
He indicated that the outcome of such a meeting should be structured in a way to address the development concerns of the area.
“The meeting should have an objective such that the various issues would be analysed with solutions provided and concretised” the secretary emphasised.
He stressed the need for the youth to be adequately supported to enable them to educate themselves and contribute meaningfully to the development of their respective communities, thereby, reducing poverty.
Some residents however raised concerns about what they described as human rights violations, selective justice among other issues, that must be addressed to promote peace in the north.