Upper East Deputy Regional Minister, Mrs. Lucy Awuni, has advised the youth to use their energies in studying and acquiring knowledge and skills that would benefit them in future.
She said this when she addressed a Delegates' Conference of the youth ministry of the Northern Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana at Sandema in the Builsa District.
Mrs Awuni cautioned the youth to desist from being used as tools for conflict, prostitution and other social vices.
She said the government had placed a high premium on youth development and would be investing in vocational, technical and apprenticeship training.
"In this regards it is hoped that by the end of our four-year term, every district in the country would be provided with a Vocational Training Institute and Apprenticeship Training and Production Centre", she said.
Mrs. Awuni commended the youth of the Church for undertaking peace initiatives by organizing workshops to educate people in conflict resolution to complement government's efforts at bringing peace to the north, especially Bawku, and urged them to continue to educate the people to stay away from conflicts.
"One of the major roles of the church is to ensure peaceful co-existence of its people and therefore you should take a leading role in the resolution of conflicts in the country especially in the north where there are serious armed conflicts to ensure peaceful co-existence".
She also thanked them for sponsoring some deprived youth in the north to go to teacher and nursing training colleges, contributing to support the Tamale Orphanages and some of the recent northern flood disaster victims