The Volta Regional Directorate of the Local Enterprises and Skills Development Programme (LESDEP) has presented assorted agricultural equipment and machinery to farmers, fisher-folk and artisans in the Hohoe Municipality.

The items, 40/16-litre Knapsack sprayer, cutlasses, 20 sewing machines, nine canopies, five Yamaha outboard motors, sales van, three motor-tricycle and water tanker worth about GH¢120,000.

Mr. Emmanuel Darlington Drayi, Volta Regional Coordinator of LESDEP, said the concept is government’s response to wealth generation and job creation to help ensure self reliance.

He said “this it does through harnessing trades, vocational and entrepreneurial skills of the youth to enhance the socio-economic standards through job creation.”

Mr. Drayi expressed the hope that the items would serve as a mustard seed around which wealth and economic emancipation would revolve and entreated beneficiaries to help ensure the success of the program.

He urged the youth to embrace all government’s interventions tailored to financially empower them to become self reliant.

The Regional Coordinator reminded the youth that LESDEP is not discriminatory but ready to work with Ghanaian youth irrespective of gender, political color or tribe.

Mr. Moses Kumah, Hohoe Municipal Coordinator of the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP), said the private sector remained the engine of growth in other jurisdictions and hopeful that same would be attained in the country for an economic leap.

He reminded beneficiaries that the line between wealth and poverty is commitment, dedication and hard work, and hoped recipients would be successful in their endeavours.

Togbe Ayidzoe VI, Chief of Ve-Golokuati, praised government for the intervention, which he said would curtail the rural-urban drift of the youth to the major cities in search of non-existent jobs.

He appealed to the government to find ready market for their farm commodities saying “we are more poised to redouble efforts to eradicate poverty from our mist through this intervention and hard work.”

Ms Linda Otukah, a beneficiary of the program, on behalf of colleagues praised government and LESDEP for their generosity, saying, the items would serve as a turning-point in their lives and help them attain self-sufficiency.**