He said the figure was very discouraging, considering the number of unemployed youth in the area, and warned those engaged in illegal mining activities in the districts to stop as they would soon be found wanting.

The Chief Executive challenged the illegal miners in the local  communities to see the government’s planting for food and jobs  programme as an alternative means of livelihood and urged them to  register and benefit from it. 

Mr Mensah said this when interacting with the chiefs and people  of the District at a town hall meeting organised by the District  Assembly and Ministry of Information at Kenyasi, the district capital.     He explained that the “Planting for food and jobs” was among the  several poverty reduction intervention programmes designed by the  government to create wealth especially among the youth and enhance their socio-economic wellbeing.

 Mr Mensah therefore entreated the teeming unemployed youth in the  District to take advantage of it and engage in commercial farming as a  business entity.      He said the programme was designed in such a way that interested young men and women would not need any capital to go into large scale farming.

 Mr Mensah said the government needed the utmost support from  citizens to spur rapid socio-economic growth and national development;  and advised Ghanaians to avoid partisan politics and support the  course of development.