Hundreds of youth in the Ashanti Region have attended a two-day job and opportunity fair organised by the Youth Employment Agency (YEA).

The fair brought on board 119 private businesses who offered qualified individuals, some of whom had remained unemployed for years, jobs.
Some of the companies, spanning agriculture through to real estate, included Silicon Real Estate, Perfect Stitch Fashion, Charis Agora, Savana Essence and Knothills Limited.

A number of the youth are to undergo further training in specific areas to remain relevant.
However, many of the youth who thronged the Prempeh Assembly Hall for the fair left disappointed because they could not fit the bill.

Remarks

Opening the fair, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Simon Osei-Mensah, reiterated the government's position for the youth to become entrepreneurs to create their own jobs.

He said instead of putting their hopes in the government to get employed, they should create their own and employ others

The regional minister said the private sector was the engine of growth and opportunities and, therefore, "creating your own business is more sustainable than getting employment".

"Industrious people are mainly private entrepreneurs and not from the public sector. It is time for you, especially the graduates, to endeavour to establish your own businesses," he said.

YEA

The CEO of the YEA, Mr Justin Kodua, said the essence of the agency was to create temporary jobs for young men and women in the country, stressing that it was scaling it towards a new direction of making the jobs so created permanent.

He announced that GH¢10 million had been earmarked to support those whose business plans and ideas would excel to set up their own businesses.