JOBS FOR 10,000 YOUTH (PAGE 18, APRIL 10, 2010)

The Deputy Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Dr Omani Boamah, has disclosed that the government in collaboration with Zoil Ghana Limited is targeting the employment of at least 10,000 Ghanaian youth for the ongoing Coastal Zone Development Project.
He said, “we have targeted to employ at least 10,000 of the youth to train them in the management of our beaches. The training, among other things, would equip them to mend nets for fishermen and re-plant thousands of coconut trees along the coast to make the beaches a viable tourist destination along the West Coast in the next five years .
This, he said, would further create more jobs, aside the economic benefits the country may derive.
Dr Omani Boamah made this statement when he toured some beaches in Accra to assess and familiarise himself with the work and activities of the workers, also known as Eco Brigade.
He was accompanied by his counterpart from the Sports Ministry, Nii Nortey Dua, the National Coordinator of the project, Lt. Col. Blood-Djraku, Mr Jonathan Takie Komme, Member of Parliament for Odododiodioo Constituency and Mr Daniel Amartey Mensah, Municipal Chief Executive for Ledzokuku-Krowor, all in the Greater Accra Region.
Dr Boamah and his team were taken round by Mr Robert Colemen, Director of Operations for Zoil Ghana Limited, a subsidiary of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, which is collaborating with the Government towards the implementation of the project.
In an interaction with the workers, Dr Boamah and his team congratulated the workers for the good work they were doing in cleaning the country’s beaches, and expressed their appreciation to Mr Coleman and Zoil for the good work.
For his part, Mr Colemen was happy that the project had been very successful, stating that “Zoil is very happy that its collaboration with government is able to create such huge employment for the youth in Ghana”, explaining that the Coastal Zone Development project covered all the country’s beaches from Aflao to Elubo.
He said “we have thousands of workers who were recruited from the various coastal communities working on the beaches and also at the oil drilling sites to ensure the proper management of our beaches.”
He called on the workers to use their expertise to educate their colleagues on the need to keep the beaches clean.