Voters have been called upon to critically examine the background of candidates contesting the forthcoming district assembly elections before voting for them.

The call was made by Mr. Kwame Nyarku Akuffo-Mensah, alias Nee Gezzu, assemblyman for Tudu and Adabraka-North electoral area in a chat with the press.

Heobserved that the district assembly is the local parliament and should therefore be composed of tested representatives who have initiative, and are development-oriented.

He said if all the district assemblies can effectively deal with sanitation, unemployment, education, sports and recreation problems, central government would be releaved to tackle weightier matters of government.

Mr. Akuffo-Mensah said about sixty percent of the youth in the metropolis are unemployed due to lack of skills and the result is 'streetism', drug and substance abuse, immorality and armed robbery. Statistics of HIV/AIDS among the youth is also very alarming and call for strategies targeted at effecting behavioural change in the youth.

He also called on agencies like the National Board for Small-Scale Industries (NBSSI) and non-governmental organisations to provide skills training for unemployed youth.

"Effecting programmes like these call for assembly men and women with vision and mission, hence my call on voters to vote massively for people like me in order to carry through these laudable programmes," Mr. Akuffo-Mensah said.