Some 131 youths in five communities in the Asutifi North district of the Ahafo Region have been trained in various livelihood empowerment skills.

The beneficiaries from the farming communities include 98 females and 33 males.

The ActionAid project, funded by medicor-foundation, is aimed at reducing poverty by equipping the youths with sustainable livelihoods in rural communities.

ActionAid enrolled some of them into livelihood ventures, where 45 were trained in beads making, 31 in tiling, nine in soap making, 41 in pastries and five trained in auto mechanic.

The beneficiaries also received start-up tools and NVTI certificates at the end of their training.

At a ceremony to present start-up tools and NVTI certificates to the beneficiaries at Kenyasi No.3, the Brong Ahafo Programme Manager of ActionAid, Tontie Binado, expects the beneficiaries to also mentor and be a source of employment to other young people in the communities.

“Apart from giving them the certificates to start-off, it is also important to give them some support in terms of materials and also equipment so that they can start-off with their small businesses and hopefully make a livelihood out of it, and not just for themselves.

"But having gone through a training like this you can be sure that they would also be a source of employment to other young people or even mentorship and training support to other young people in their various communities,” Mr Binado said.

He further added that, the 131 youths involved in the training would be constantly monitored.

The queen mother of Koforidua in the Asutifi North District, Nana Dufie Abra adviced the beneficiaries especially the women against laziness and unprofitable use of the money gained from working with the tools.

“Cultivate the habit of saving to help grow your work, eschew laziness and don’t say there is no work in Ghana because what you have learnt is your job,” she adviced the beneficiaries.