W/R- Zongo Communities Call on Sector Minister for exclusive Initiatives To Address specifc Challenges

Youth leaders in Zongo Communities at Effia Kwesiminstim Municipal Assembly have called on Ministry of Inner City and Zongo Development to pay attention to exclusive initiatives that will elevate the plight and address specific challenges facing zongo communities to ensure that the ultimate goal of setting up the Ministry of Inner city and Zongo development is achieved.

This follows the recent visit by the vice president Dr Bahamadu Bawomia to the Chief Iman where he said that the Zongo communities have been developed.

According the youth leaders, though free senior high school is a good initiative, it only affects all Ghanaians and not exclusive to the songo Communities, therefore it is imperative to design programs that address specific challenges of Zongo in Effia and Kwesiminstim

Dawda Mohammed, a youth leader at Kwesiminstim Zongo spoke about the seven key policy agenda by the Ministry where he touched on the policy of enhancing key participation in education at all level. He added that the access to education in terms of “Free Senior High School Policy is for all Ghanaians but not only Zongo communities therefore it significant to coin specific educational policies exclusive to the zongo communities, for example “we will want to see more of our youth get into tertiary education and been awarded scholarships to further their education, such approach of awarding these benefits should be descentralised”.

Speaking on the policy of providing the youth with opportunities for skills training, employment and labour market information, Mr David Mohammed called for decentralisation in term of policy implementation

“In Kwesimintsim zongo, I cannot tell if the program has been actualised, I believe we have structural program and this program is been implemeneted at the central level but if the policy implementation is still centered in Kumasi and Accra, it will defeat the main objective.

Also speaking on the behalf of EfiaKuma Zongo, Alhaji Mubarack Bawa a youth leader spoke about development in two folds, that is development of human capital and infactracture, “On behalf of Effia kuma Zong, the setting of the ministry is getting to almost 4years, we haven’t experience any development in Effiakuma Zongo. considering free SHS,there is no clear plan for those who to continue their education, there is also no plan for student who have completed their Tertiarry Education and are still searching for jobs, there is notting exclusive to address specific concerns of our communities”.

President after assuming office set up the Inner City and Zongo Development Ministry to address challenges in such commubities to a