The Asante-Akim South District Assembly has taken steps to build a “Bamboo Service Centre” at Obogu, to help create employment for the large number of jobless youth in the area.

The project is a product of the collaboration between the Assembly and the Rural Enterprises Project (REP).

The centre would expose the people to the techniques of using bamboo to produce wood products at affordable prices, given relatively cheaper cost of the raw material.

Mr. De-Graft Forkuo, District Chief Executive (DCE), told the Ghana News Agency (DCE), that apart from giving jobs, there would be an added advantage of protecting forest reserves in the area.

He said the people were being encouraged to go into bamboo plantations and given the ready market, there would be little or no incentive for them to engage in illegal timber operations.

The DCE made these disclosures when reporters of the nation’s wire service visited the district under STAR-Ghana’s media auditing and tracking of development projects, an initiative launched to shine a spotlight on how government’s resources were helping to transform the lives of the people, particularly the rural population.

The goal is to aid transparency, promote accountability and good local governance.

Mr. Forkuo said the project represented a bold effort to open up the local economy, create wealth for the people, and significantly improve the Assembly’s revenue.

He said through the support of the REP, some people have been sent to China to learn bamboo processing.

The physical structure for the Centre has been completed, and some machinery installed.

Mr. Aikins Agyapong, Head of the Business Advisory Centre (BAC), entreated the youth to establish bamboo plantations, to take advantage of the expected huge economic benefits.

He gave the Assembly high marks for the project, and called on all to work together to make it a big success.