Obuasi (Ash), Jan 28, GNA - Beneficiaries of the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) have been urged to serve as ambassadors to the government's efforts at solving unemployment problem in the country. Mr Francis Dorpenyoh, Adansi South district chief executive who made the call at Obuasi noted that the NYEP was a demonstration of the NPP government's commitment to tackling youth unemployment in the country. Addressing the closing session of a 5-day training workshop for 40 sanitary aides drawn from Adansi South, North and Obuasi Municipal, the DCE told them "go out and bear testimony that the NYEP is not a lip-service by the government".

The beneficiaries were selected by the three assemblies under the sanitation and waste management module of the NYEP.

Mr Dorpenyoh stressed, "As you go out after this training and people say the government is not doing anything about unemployment, you should be able to challenge this false claims".

He urged the trainees to display the knowledge gained to improve sanitation in their communities, adding that, environmental cleanliness was one of the objectives of the Ghana at 50 celebrations.

Mr Richard Amoaning, Ashanti Regional Environmental Health Officer, expressed gratitude to the government for introducing the sanitation and waste management module under the NYEP since all the district assemblies were short of staff at the environmental health department. He expressed the hope that the sanitary aides were going to assist the environmental health officers in the vigorous fight against filth in the various assemblies.

Mr Amoaning observed that when sanitation was improved, congestion at the country's health facilities would be reduced drastically. The Regional Environmental health Officer called for public support, "since the environmental health officers were not enemies but friends who were there to assist the public realise their roles as far as sanitation was concerned".

Mr Kimgston Amoah, the Obuasi Municipal NYEP Co-ordinator advised the sanitary aides against extortion, which he said would defeat the good intention of the programme.

Miss Dorcas Dapaah, one of the trainees who spoke to the GNA, gave the assurance that she and her colleagues would work to improve sanitary conditions in their communities.

Some of the topics they were treated to included general guidelines to conducting environmental inspection, roles and responsibilities of the sanitary aides and enforcement of sanitation legislation. 28 Jan 07