The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr. Mark Woyongo, has said the government is very committed to the development and empowerment of the youth and that is why it has instituted policies towards achieving that objective. The Minister said this at a youth forum held in Bolgatanga at the weekend. The forum, organized by the Northern Patriots in Research and Advocacy (NORPRA), a civil society organization working in the interest of the marginalized and seeking social justice for all was under the theme “2009 Budget Statement, Policy Interventions for Youth Empowerment and Regional Development”. The forum, sponsored by Ibis West Africa, was aimed at creating a common platform to discuss government policy interventions for youth empowerment and regional development. He said the fact that the government has appointed many youth to governmental position was a clear testimony that government was committed to the development of the youth. Mr. Woyongo said the government would modernize and expand technical and vocational education as part of efforts to provide employable skills to the youth through training institutions like the National Vocational Training Institute, Opportunity Industrialisation Centre among others to train about 12,500 young persons in technical and vocational skills. He said this year the trade and vocation module of the National Youth Employment Programme would train young persons under selected Master Craftsmen and Women within their communities after which they would be supported to set up micro and small businesses. Another policy pursued by government, the Regional Minister said, was the revision of the Ghana Education Trust Fund Act to broaden its scope to include local institutions such as teacher organizations, tertiary students’ representatives as well as prioritize the use of the fund to cover critical areas like academic and residential facilities, scholarships and bursary awards for needy students. Mr. Woyongo said government was committed to collaboration with other agencies to establish Junior Farm Field in the districts to improve the lives of young people aged 12 to 18 years who live in insecure communities where HIV/AIDS is widespread. In the rural areas young people would be taken through training programmes with particular attention to local agricultural skills. He said government had approved funds for the youth in Agriculture Development Project in which 1,200 youth would be trained in agri-business while another 7,000 would be supported with inputs to cultivate 5,600 hectares of maize and rice in 70 districts which includes all districts in the Upper East Region. Mr Woyongo said another 4,000 youth would be supported with inputs and irrigation facilities to undertake farming in the dry-season and that government, with support from the Germany Technical Corporations (GTZ), was rehabilitating eight dams in the region. Mr. Bismark Ayorogo Adongo, President of NORPRA, explained that the rational for the forum was to help inform the youth about existing opportunities for them to explore. He expressed optimism that the policies and programmes government intends to implement would help to prevent the youth from migrating to southern Ghana. Source: GNA