Asankare (Ash), Dec 11, GNA - Mr Daniel Arhin-Sam, Principal of Asankare Youth Leadership Skills Training Institute (YLSTI) in the Asante-Akim South District, has appealed to the government to equip YLSTI across the country to enable them contribute to national development.

He said the availability of facilities in the institutes would not only ensure the provision of quality training for the youth but also complement the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP). Mr Arhin-Sam was addressing the 20th anniversary celebration of the institute at Asankare on Friday.

The anniversary was on the theme, "The Role and Importance of the Youth as a Catalyst to National Development".

The principal said it was regrettable that YLSTI has been excluded from the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund). He, therefore, appealed to the government to introduce a sustainable alternative measure to address the plight of the institutes to render them productive.

Alhaji Abubakar Saddique Boniface, the Minister of Manpower, Youth and Employment, said in an address read on his behalf that there was the need for stakeholders to mobilize resources to promote youth development programmes.

Dr Lord Justice Gyamfi-Fenteng, the District Chief Executive, said technical and vocational education were crucial to national development and must be given attention. He pledged the assembly's support to the institute.