A chief has appealed to the government to give priority attention to youth development by providing them with access to adequate training facilities.
Nana Owusu Appiasah, Chief of Edubinsukese in the Afigya-Kwabre District, said Ghana could not afford to see its young people ruin their lives through hard drugs, alcoholism, improper dressing, prostitution and other socially reprehensible lifestyles.
The chief, who was addressing the Ashanti Regional youth stakeholders� forum at Ahinsan in Kumasi on Wednesday, said they should
rather be assisted to channel their energies into productive ventures.
�Building regional capacities for youth mobilization and effective coordination in a better Ghana agenda�, was the theme.
About 70 participants drawn from youth groups including the Young Entrepreneurs, Federation of Youth Associations in Ghana (FEDYAG), students, NGOs, traditional authorities and religious bodies attended.
Reverend Father Augustine Peprah, Parish Priest of Atonsu Catholic Church, expressed concern about the soaring moral decadence among the youth and said this was unhelpful to the nation�s progress.
He appealed to the church to intensify evangelization to help turn the young men and women away from evil and encourage them to
uphold the values of discipline, hard work and integrity.
Mr Richard Merz, an official of FEDYAG in the Ahafo-Ano North District, called on the government to resource the National Youth
Council (NYC) to effectively carry out its mandate.