‘Develop agriculture sector to provide jobs for youth’ - Kofi Annan
A former Secretary- General of the United Nations, Mr Kofi Annan, has asked the government and traditional authorities to provide facilities for the youth in rural communities to address the ever-increasing rural-urban migration.
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He said agriculture was one of the major ways to address the problem, as the sector would employ majority of the youth who "keep moving into the big cities for non-existent jobs".
At a durbar at Abor in the Keta Municipality in the Volta Region last Monday, Mr Annan said half of the problems faced in Africa, especially Ghana, could easily be solved if proper attention was paid to agriculture.
The durbar, organised by the International Potato Centre (CIP), was to promote the production and consumption of vitamin A-rich Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP) in Ghana.
CIP is an international agricultural research centre that works to improve the lives of the poor through improvement of roots and tuber, primarily sweet potato and potato.
Before the durbar, Mr Annan and his wife, Mrs Nane Annan, visited Vekon Bakery at Sogakope where OFSP is used to produce bread.
Africa's problem
Mr Annan said the biggest problem in Africa was that the continent was spending heavily to produce "what we do not eat and import what we eat".
He said the focus on importation had caused the economy of many nations to suffer, adding that Africa must begin to feed itself if the continent was to be fed.
Mr Annan also raised issues on the quality of food produced locally, saying that instead of focusing on producing more, the country should spend to improve the value of its product.
He also stressed the need for traditional leaders and civil society organisations to help small businesses to grow, since they employed more of the youth.
CIP on the move
The Country Director of CIP, Mrs Jan Low, stressed the need for Ghana to make use of the OFSP to create more employment for the youth.
She said although CIP was new in Ghana, the centre would be celebrating its 45th anniversary as an organisation dedicated to improving potato and sweet potato for smallholder farmers.
Government willingness
The Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Mrs Dzifa Gomashie, emphasised the government's commitment to help local businesses attain the desired target of growth.
