The Offinso Traditional Council (OTC) is collaborating with Stichitng Lydia Foundation, an NGO, to initiate projects that would empower the youth in the traditional area to develop their potential and acquire employable skills to enhance accelerated socio-economic development of the area.
According to the Paramount Chief of Offinso Traditional Council, Nana Wiafe Akenten, it was also part of their objectives to collaborate with the NGO to establish a quarry at Offinso as a way of generating adequate resources to enhance sustainable development in the traditional area
The project, according to the OTC, is to encourage the youth to support investment avenues and development initiatives in the traditional area, thereby preventing citizens in the area from migrating to urban centres and other parts of the world to seek for unavailable jobs.
Briefing the Daily Graphic on his development initiatives, Nana Wiafe Akenten pointed out that the NGO was sourcing for equipment that would be used to set up the quarry to offer employment opportunity to the youth, as well as supporting the OTC to generate resources to initiate projects that would impact positively on the lives of the people in the traditional area.
He said apart from establishing micro enterprise promotion training centres in selected communities in the traditional area, and linking women’s groups and villages in the area to banks for support, the project, dubbed “Offinso Prototype sustainable village project”, also sought to establish micro credit units and self-help group among women, as well as organising and imparting leadership, development and managerial skills to empower the youth economically for them to initiate the establishment of small-scale industries.
The OTC is also linking up with the NGO to establish an I CT and recreational centre at Offinso to develop the skills of the youth in modern communication technologies, as well as providing them with avenues for them to play, relax and socialise at their leisure period.
Already, the OTC has released a tract of land to enable the project to take off smoothly.
Explaining the rationale behind the project to the Daily Graphic in an interview, Nana Wiafe Akenten said he had already linked up with the Director of Stichitng Lydia Foundation, Mrs Caroline N.M. Bayiha, who would be visiting Offinso in two weeks’ time to finalise arrangements for the project to take off.
He said he was sponsoring the visit, during which they would discuss issues relating to how the quarry and other projects would be established and their benefits to the people including the employment avenues for the youth and the raw materials it would offer for the construction industry.
Explaining the circumstance that led to the linkage between the OTC and the Netherlands-based Stichitng Lydia Foundation, Nana Wiafe Akenten said a few months ago, the Director of the foundation and a Netherlands-based Offinso citizen, Mr Stephen Kwadwo Nketia, visited him at Offinso and expressed interest in supporting the youth in the area not only to develop their potential, but also acquire employable skills and initiate investment opportunities for their benefit and that of the surrounding communities.
He said based on that, the OTC honoured the director by installing her as the ‘Nkosuohemaa’ with a stool name Nana Tabuaa.
He said since then, Mrs Bayiha had been itching to return to Offinso to support their development initiatives.
“As a chief, I am keen on her return to Offinso to finalise arrangement that would enable us to start projects to offer employment avenues for the youth. We are also likely to start projects that are likely to improve the standard of living among the people in the Offinso traditional area, thereby encouraging the youth to stay and work in Ghana instead of risking their lives to travel abroad,” he noted
Nana Wiafe Akenten pointed out that the reign of Otumfuo Osei Tutu as the Asantehene had proved that chiefs had a lot to offer their people and with that inspiration, he was more determined than ever to collaborate with Stichitng Lydia Foundation to improve the standard of living of the people in the area.
He mentioned the construction of an ICT centre to encourage the youth to acquire the techniques in modern communication skills, the expansion of a kindergarten at Offinso, the expansion of the vocational training centre to offer employable skills to the youth, a clinic to offer quality healthcare delivery to the people, a recreational centre for relaxation and sports, and the drilling of boreholes to offer potable water in selected communities in the traditional area as some of his priorities.
He said the project would not be concentrated at the Offinso township alone on its take-off, but would be extended to all the communities in the traditional area for the benefit of the youth in such communities.
He, therefore, urged Offinso citizens at home and abroad to support their initiatives to make them become successful.
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