Minister commends Youth in Road Maintenance module
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Ms Frempong has, therefore, called for the provision of adequate resources to enable the operators to perform their duties effectively and also improve the road network in the country.
The minister made the call during the closing ceremony of a nine-day training programme for regional supervisors of the module and their deputies in Koforidua in the Eastern Region.
The training, which brought together 20 participants from all the 10 regions, was organised by Zeera Group, implementers of the module, in collaboration with GYEEDA .
It was to help improve the knowledge and expertise of the participants in the field, as well as help to manage their subordinates on the field.
The minister called on beneficiaries under the module to do their part by working hard to sustain the programme and reduce youth unemployment.
According to the minister, sometimes the government institutes youth employment programmes but they collapse because of the lack of commitment on the part of the beneficiaries. She therefore advised “the beneficiaries to eschew laziness to make this module a success”.
The minister also called for greater collaboration between YiRM and the Ministry of Roads and Highways to address issues such as the illegal construction of speed humps in some communities.
The Deputy Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr Isaac Adjei Mensah, noted that the role of YiRM in national development cannot be overemphasized, especially in the areas of youth employment and road maintenance.
“Information indicates that currently, about 7000 officers have benefited from this module. This indicates the government’s commitment and frantic efforts that have been put in place to curtail the rate of unemployment in the country,” he said.
He said the training programme was to help the beneficiaries to be efficient in their areas of specialisation in order to meet the needs of the general public. He also emphasised the government’s commitment to ensuring that the intellectual resources and skills of the youth were harnessed to promote national development.
The National Co-ordinator of YiRM, Awal Mohammed, said modern trends in road maintenance make it mandatory for the skills of persons in the sector to be improved periodically and also to make them innovative in their operations.
Mr Mohammed, therefore, tasked the supervisors and their deputies to implement what they had been taught on the field.
He said it was through the work of the beneficiaries that the public could attest that “ the taxpayers’ money has been put to good use”.
Participants in the nine-day programme were trained in the Concept of Maintenance; Maintenance Management; Maintenance Activity and Specification; Supervision/Monitoring and Reporting; and the Procurement of Maintenance Works. Certificates were awarded to the participants at the end of the training.