The Upper West Regional (UWR) Secretariat of the National Youth Authority has recruited 300 unemployed youth in the region for training under the Digital Marketing and Entrepreneurship programme.

The national programme, which was unveiled in Accra Digital Centre last week is projected to open employment opportunities for some 3,000 youth without work nationwide.

The scheme aims at equiping beneficiaries with relevant technology-driven entrepreneurial skills to apply on internet, especially social media, for marketing of products and services as well as help people start virtual offices, an effort aimed at cutting down unemployment rate in Ghana.

Speaking at the launch of the regional base programme at Wa, Mr Sulemana Mumuni, the UWR Director of National Youth Authority, said each of the region’s 10 districts would submit a list of 20 recruits while the only Municipal there takes 100 recruits.

He said the Authority had been thinking through and working hand in hand with partners to make sure the problem of youth unemployment was addressed.

He explained that it was in that light that the youth authority came out with the flagship programme called Online Digital Marketing to engage the youth of Ghana on how to use the magic and power of the internet to let things happen within themselves and change society.

Mr Sulemana told the selected youth to count themselves among the lucky ones as a lot of people applied but by virtue of the selection criteria, were not picked and assured the participants that the programme had come to stay and would be rolled out in phases.

“I want to tell you that this is just the first phase of the training programme, after this phase other young people will also be engaged same way until we are able to fight the issue of youth unemployment,” he said.

Mr Amidu Chinnia Issahaku, the Deputy Upper West Regional Minister who launched the programme said the youth constituted a major source of human capital for the transformational agenda of Ghana.

Against this backdrop, he said efforts should be made to unearth their talents and skills for sustained growth of the country.

“I wish to use this opportunity to congratulate all those who were selected and urge you to be committed and take the training seriously,” he said.

“Make good use of the opportunities afterwards for your personal development and nation building.