Kade, June 21, GNA - Kwaebibirem District Assembly has acquired 80 hectares in the Abenaso and Amonom area for an oil palm plantation. Mr Yaw Yiadom-Boakye, Kwaebibirem District Chief Executive, who announced this at the last assembly meeting at Kade on Monday, said about 24 hectares had been cleared for the project under the President's Special Initiative (PSI) on Oil Palm.

He noted that the district was a leading producing area for oil palm and other products as well as the establishment of the Ghana Oil-Palm Developing Company at Kwae, the biggest oil palm plantation in the country.

In addition, the Oil Palm Research Institute (OPRI) in the area produces oil palm seeds supplied to nurseries nation-wide, as well as coconut seedlings resistant to the Cape Saint Paul Wilt disease. On youth employment, Mr Yiadom-Boakye announced that Ministry of Manpower Development, Youth and Employment, had posted a Youth Employment Officer to the district to register the youth under the National Youth Employment programme.

He said about 500 unemployed youth would be employed initially under the programme.

Mr Yiadom-Boakye, commended the assembly members for their support to develop the area for the past three years.

"You have been of tremendous assistance, without you, the assembly would not have reached the levels attained during the period," he added. However, the DCE appealed to aspiring assembly members to assist more women to be elected to support the national agenda on gender. Mr George Aboagye, Presiding Member expressed appreciation to the assembly members for the vital role they played in achieving successes and socio-economic development of the district.