The National Youth Authority (NYA) on Wednesday, May 30, presented 212 specially designed tablets to 212 youth in the Western Region who had undergone a-three-month digital marketing and entrepreneurial training programme to start up their own businesses.

The Huawei Media Pad T 3/7 tablet which has an-built data with an MTN modem, is expected to afford the granduands the opportunity to be in tune with modern technology and be part of a fast changing digitized global economy.

Accoring to the NYA, it was on their drawing board to give start-up capital to the trainees to be self-employed and employ others.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Youth Authority (NYA), Mr. Emmanuel Asigiri who was delivering a keynote address during the graduation of 280 youth who had undergone a-three-month digital training at Takoradi, admitted that the tablets would assist the youth to put the skills they acquired to use and establish their own businesses on-line to become self-sufficient and address the unemployment situation in the country.

The programme was sponsored by the government of Ghana through the NYA.

He said in a digitized globalized economy, the youth ought to advertise their local businesses on-line to engage international attention and reap the dividends thereof.

Mr. Asigiri noted that more than 10 million Ghanaians transact business on social media but bemoaned the practice where some of the youth waste their precious time dabbling in unproductive issues on Facebook and other platforms and asked the mass media to educate the youth to channel their energies into productive ventures to boost their standard of living.

He said as part of building the capacity of the youth in ICT, the NYA would continue with its engagement with the Ghana-India Kofi Annan ICT Center to roll ouit the second phase of the training module in July 2018 and build 10 youth centers across the country.

The CEO reminded the youth to be abreast of the Rwandan experience where ICT was a springboard to the re-building of the country after the 1994 genocide.

He said the NYA would impress upon the youth who have identified the coconut oil business to venture into it and digitize their businesses to attract foreign market.

The Western Regional Director of the NYA, Mr. Emmanuel Papa Assan said the programme formed part of the NYA core mandate to equip the youth with basic traing to acquire necessary skills to be self-reliant.

He charged the trainees to employ their knowledge to serve and improve the trade and marketing environment in their respective communities and the Region at large.

Mr. Assan reminded the trainees to identify entrepreneurs and emerging enterprises and products with marketing potential and project them through the online digital marketing platform for visibility, patronage and sales.

The NYA Director also tasked the trainees to identify and take advantage of the enormous opportunities in their various localities and beyound and secure themselves sustainable good income through the application of knowledge and skills acquired.

Mr. Assan lauded the efforts of the District Chief Executive for Ellembelle, Mr. Kwasi Bonzo for his support, interest and commitment to ensuring the best output for the project.

He also thanked the consulting firm, PM Consult of Accra for plaing a pivotal role to ensure that the youth master the basic knowledge and skills.

Mr. Assan hoped that government will continue to prioritise youth development issues through the NYA and its allied strategic partners to reposition the Ghanian youth to its proper place.

DCE for Ellembelle, Mr. Kwasi Bonzo observed that the internet was now the biggest community hence Ghana could not afford to sit aloof but embrace ICT.

He said digital marketing and entrepreneurship were the main drive of the global economy and charged the youth to embrace modern technology.

Mr. Bonzo said third world countries like China have invested in ICT, Science and Technology to turn the fortunes of their economy round.

He charged the youth to embrace government,s policy on employment such as the Nation.s Builders Corps (NABCOB), planting for Food and Jobs among others.

A Training Consultant, Mr. Mawuli Babanawo said it was the intention of government to train more than 50-000 Ghanaians with digitized skills.

He asked the youth to avail themselves of the project and eschew unsavoury comments they make on facebook and other social media platforms.