The Assemblyman-Elect for Mnlitsa Gonno in the Central Business District of Accra, Mr. Latif Osman, popularly known as Joe Lati, has promised to harness the potential of the youth for comprehensive development of the Electoral Area.
Mr. Osman, a 36-year-old staff of the Ashiedu Keteke District office of the National Disaster Management Organization, speaking with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Monday, said he would encourage the people to take advantage of the National Youth Employment Programme to acquire skills.
He noted that the youth in the area were exposed to social vices and that if they were not well directed and counselled, would become a liability not only to themselves but to the society as well.
Mr. Osman, currently pursuing a degree course in Information Technology at the Methodist University, said he would initiate programmes that would help the youth to take their education and skill training seriously to enable them to become useful citizens.
He identified social development, sanitation and job creation as his priority and said he would organize regular cleanup exercises to ensure clean and healthy environment due to the location of markets and commercial activities in the area.
Mr. Osman said he would use his cordial relations with top government and political functionaries to lobby for the area to get its fair share of the national cake and development.
He pledged to solicit support from business organizations including the country’s top banks located in the electoral area to sponsor the education and training of residents, especially the youth to make them productive.
The Assemblyman-Elect said he would lead in efforts to put in place an effective and sustainable programme to maintain proper sanitation in and around the Makola market.
He expressed his gratitude to the people for giving him the mandate and said he would tap the experience of the outgoing Assemblyman and other contestants in the District Assembly elections to ensure the progress of the area.
Mr Osman said he would mobilize resources to ensure that school drop outs in the area got back to the classroom, organize extra classes for school children in the area to prevent them from getting involved in commercial and money making ventures at an early age, which would affect their education.
He advised residents in the area to take advantage of the National Health Insurance programme and said regular medical outreach programmes would be organized to ensure a healthy and vibrant community.