LESDEP District Coordinators upgrade knowledge

A four-day orientation programme to build the competency, organizational communication and managerial skills of district coordinators of the Local Enterprise and Skills Development Programme (LESDEP) has opened in Kumasi.

It also seeks to help them to better appreciate their roles and responsibilities for efficient performance.

In all, 120 Coordinators from the Northern Zone are participating in the programme being held under the auspices of the Local Government and Rural Development Ministry.

Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, the sector Minister, said LESDEP was a specialized employment creation initiative to provide the requisite skills, tools and training for the youth to make them self-employed.

It aimed at training and equipping about 20,000 young people in the country’s 170 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies by the end of 2012, he added.

The Minister said it would give beneficiaries hands-on-training in construction, mobile phone repairing, agro-processing and packaging, catering, hairdressing, fisheries and Information Communication and Technology (ICT).

Mr Ofosu-Ampofo reminded the coordinators that it was their responsibility to monitor and supervise programme activities to ensure effective project implementation.

They should also take particular notice of the guidelines for implementation of the various models to assist the realization of the set goals.

The Minister called on them to pay attention to the topics they would be taught.

Mr Samuel Sarpong, Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive, said the Metropolitan Assembly would give the Programme the necessary support to boost skills development.

Mr Gariba Adem, National Programme Coordinator of LESDEP, asked the Coordinators to take responsibility for the success of the programme.

Source: GNA