Youth training to be redefined - Osei Kwaku

The minister of Youth and Sports Mr. Edward Osei-Kwaku has said the curricula of Leadership Training Institutes in the country would be reviewed to facilitate the absorption of their graduates into job markets.

Addressing the Parliamentary Select Committee on Youth and Sports on Wednesday, Mr Osei-Kwaku said he would ensure that the institutes are well resourced to achieve their objectives.

He said the type of training; course content, admission requirements and procedures, as well as opportunities for the graduates would be scrutinized and evaluated to make the products of these institutes beneficial to the country.

The minister said he would lead a crusade for increase in the budget allocation of his ministry so that he would be in a position to make the right impact.

He said it would be prudent to establish Leadership Training Institutes in Central, Western and Northern regions because they are the only regions in Ghana without such opportunities.

Mr Osei-Kwaku said, "the best part of anybody's life is his youth" and for that matter, "I will tackle their problems vigorously by teaming up with agencies and departments under me and will liase with other ministers to move as a bulldozer and remove all obstacles."

He accepted a suggestion by Mr Abuga Pele, a member of the Committee to persuade Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, minister of Local Government and Rural Development to allot a percentage of the District Assembly's Common Fund to sports development in the districts.

The minister said his open door and cooperative policy has started yielding positive results as Mr Solomon Darko, Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, has promised to build an ultra modern boxing gym at Bukom to encourage more youth to take to the sport thereby removing them from the streets.