YOUTH unemployment in the Tamale metropolis is to be reduced to the barest minimum in the years ahead.
This is because the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TAMA) has tasked itself to create hundreds of jobs for the teeming unemployed youth in the sprawling metropolis. It hopes to achieve that through such units as the Urban Roads within the assembly, expansion of the National Youth Employment Programme, award of assembly contracts and Zoomlion-Assembly collaboration among other strategies.
According to the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), Alhaji Abdulai Haruna Friday, the assembly deemed it one of its top priorities to address the unemployment issue because of its ripple effects on the peace and stability of the metropolis.
“I also believe strongly that the time has come for the upgrading of a number of facilities such as the Tamale Airport to international standards to further enhance our city’s success in investment, tourism and job creation,” he stated.
He observed that when that was done, it would accelerate growth and development as well as direct exports of non-traditional goods and crops such as cashew, shea-nuts, shea-butter, mangoes, cotton and many others to the international markets.
Alhaji Haruna noted that Tamale had a lot to offer as large tracts of arable land abounded for agricultural purposes, which in itself, could help address the unemployment situation, if effectively managed.
He observed that such potentials were areas for possible investment, adding that the arts and culture, animal leather processing products and other artefacts all abounded in the metropolis that constituted a major area of investment, tourist attraction and job creation.
“Another area of prime importance to me as we strive to market Tamale is the development of a fully fledged website where the world can access and appreciate Tamale better through the Internet,” the MCE indicated.
Touching on revenue mobilisation, Alhaji Haruna intimated that the assembly was now focused on how best to minimise the overdependence on the “good old District Assembly Common Fund”.
He expressed regret that the measure had become necessary because the release of the fund had become erratic, sometimes, leading to the adandonment of or delay in the implementation of much of the assembly’s development programmes.
As a result of the measures put in place, the MCE said the assembly had collected GH¢586,944 as against GH¢864,772, which was the revenue target for this year.
In 2006 and 2007, for instance, he said, the assembly mobilised a paltry GH¢364,054 and GH¢249,394 respectively as revenue.
“I, therefore, have confidence that I would turn things around in our revenue mobilisation drive,” he assured.
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