President John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday announced that government would engage a total of 400,000 youth under the alternative livelihood programme to dissuade them from engaging in illegal mining.

He said out of the number, 100,000 would be trained under the National Youth Training programme.

President Mahama announced this when he called on Okyehene Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin II after breaking the grounds for the commencement of work on the cocoa roads rehabilitation programme at Kyebi in the Eastern Region.

The roads form part of the $150 million COCOBOD rehabilitation programme for all cocoa community roads throughout the country.

The sod cutting took place at Adeiso in the Upper West Akyem District to symbolise the commencement of work on the roads throughout the country.

In Kyebi, government would rehabilitate all five -kilometre Kyebi town roads.

President Mahama said the Koforidua- Bunso road has also been awarded on contract under the cocoa road rehabilitation programme.

President Mahama said the practice of illegal mining is becoming inimical to the growth of the country, and the establishment of alternative livelihood programmes would give government the opportunity to adequately deal with perpetrators.

He said under the youth training programme 100,000 would be trained in community development, health and other sectors that would make them relevant and useful to the society.

President Mahama said the Apedwa-Kyebi-Bunso roads that were slated to be rehabilitated under the cocoa road rehabilitation programme would provide alternative roads to travellers and to reduce traffic congestion on the roads.

The President gave the assurance that money for the rehabilitation exercise is ready and the contractors would therefore have no excuse to delay the execution.

Okyehene Ofori-Panin called for the restructuring of the small scale mining programme to make the miners more responsible in taking care of the environment after their excavation activities.

He said the restructuring would enable about 15,000 people to be gainfully employed in the area.

“All rivers in the country are getting polluted because of the illegal mining we are experiencing throughout the country and I believe restructuring will bring sanity into the industry."

He promised to keep in touch with the contractors awarded the projects to ensure that they completed them on schedule.