Apam, Aug. 12, Ghanadot/GNA – The Government has tasked Ziol
Company, a subsidiary company of the Zoomlion Ghana Limited, to
recruit the youth in communities where oil has been discovered
in preparation for extraction of crude oil in the country next
year.
Mr. Francis Kojo Arthur, Member of Parliament (MP) for Gomoa
West, announced this at the launch of the District Employment
Taskforce (DELTA Force)at Apam on Monday.
He said the youth, who would be recruited mainly along the
coastal towns, are to be engaged in cleaning the beaches and in
the restoration of the coastal vegetation. Others would also be
trained to take care of oil spillage.
The MP said the government was making every effort to increase
job opportunities for the youth and appealed to them to make
good use of the opportunities.
Dr Nii Moi Thompson, an Economic Development expert and
representative of the International Labour Organisation (ILO),
said creating employment meant minimizing anti-social activities
such as armed robbery, cyber crimes or “Sakawa”, rape and
defilement.
He said 80 per cent of the Ghanaian economy was being controlled
by the informal or private sector and out of this women formed
90 per cent.
Dr Thompson said ILO had been supporting the expansion of the
private sector because of its importance to the economy. He
urged Ghanaians to be time conscious, quoting the adage that
“time is money”.
Mr. Patrice Caesar-Sowah, National Project Expert of the ILO,
said the organization was concerned about employers creating an
enabling and decent environment for their workers to motivate
them to expand productivity.
He said the DELTA force would be engaged in the registration of
the unemployed and identification of job opportunities in the
district.
Mr. Caesar-Sowa appealed to chiefs and land owners to release
lands for the Force, and appealed to the District Assembly to
sustain the programme.
Mr. Theophilus Aidoo-Mensah, Gomoa District Chief Executive (DCE),
said the government intended to create additional 100,000 jobs
by the end of 2009.
He expressed concern about the attitude of some employees of
Zoomlion under the National Youth Employment Programme who did
little or no work at all but received pay monthly.
“I shall keep a keen eye on you and those found to be lazy,
shall be weeded out,” the DCE warned.
He assured the ILO experts that the Assembly had already put in
place measures to sustain the programme. They include the
creation of an office and the appointment of a desk officer.
An eight-member DELTA force, under the chairmanship of the DCE
was inaugurated at the ceremony.
GNA
