The Business Advisory Centre (BAC) of the Rural Enterprises Project (REP), has organized a ten-day training workshop for unemployed youth in sustainable bee keeping and honey production at Bugri in the Garu-Tempane District of the Upper East Region. The workshop, which was attended by 88 participants, was aimed at building the capacities of the youth in adopting alternative livelihood support activities as a means to address unemployment among the youth. Addressing the closing ceremony, Mr Jasper Adenyo, Deputy District Coordinating Director, said a lot of opportunities existed in the area for serious business-minded people that could help them to reduce poverty. He pointed out that entrepreneurs needed to be committed and innovative in their ideas in order to utilize the opportunities for the benefit of society. Mr Adenyo said the District Assembly was working in close partnership with the BAC and other stakeholders in its drive to increase the income levels of the rural communities. He noted that honey production would not only provide an all-year round employment for the youth, but also has far reaching nutritional benefits to the society at large. Mr Moonim Rahman, Garu BAC Coordinator, urged participants to consider self-employment as a viable career option than depending on government organizations. He advised participants to form cooperative groups in order to share ideas as well as sourcing funds to undertake their ventures. Mr Emmanuel Denkyi, an expert in honey production who was the resource person explained the various methods and stages of honey production and ways of managing it on large scale for marketing and consumption. Mr David Zangina, the course prefect, on behalf of his colleagues thanked the centre for organizing the workshop and gave the assurance that what they had learnt would be put to maximum use. He appealed to the Assembly to help them with start-up capital to begin their businesses without going in for loans with high interest rates that could collapse their ventures. Source: GNA