The rising concerns being raised about the ‘Sakawa’ menace; where all manner of internet crimes are committed by the youth in their quest to jump off the poverty line has pushed the Ministry of Inner-City and Zongo Development to offer training for them to be useful to the society.
This worrying canker pushed the Ministry to act by helping to transform these young men into ethical hackers in the country.
The situation of Sakawa has become prevalent in the Zongo communities because all seems lost for the youth in these areas.
It is in line with this that ministry intends retraining these young men in Information Communications Technology (ICT) in collaboration with the Ministry of Communications as well as other relevant bodies to transform them into ethical hackers to assist the Police in the fight against cybercrime.
This forms part of the mandate of the ministry in its human development agenda in the Zongo areas.
The ministry is of the view that the abilities of these young men to manipulate the computer without any proper education in ICT will be tapped into the fight against cybercrime in the country.
Alhaji Abubakar Saddique Boniface made this comment when the Ga Central Council of Zongo Chiefs in the Greater Accra Region paid a courtesy call on him at his office in the Castle.
The council of Zongo chiefs was led by the Alhaji M. J. Sissy and the Queen mother of Anohuma area Naa Koodee.
The Minister said Zongo areas hitherto use to be the destination of migrants and it was far away from the main city areas.
‘’But now what do we see now, these Zongo areas are right in the city hence the president’s Nana Addo Dankwa Addo-Akufo’s decision to establish the fund for the transformation of these areas across the country.
He explained that the establishment of the fund forms part of the seven key flagship policies outlined in the budget read by the Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to Parliament.
He added that ministry is expected to collaborate with the ministry of Education, Manpower and Labour Relations and the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) to engage some three hundred Arabic tutors to teach Arabic to teach in some Islamic schools across the country.
He was of the view that per the mandate of the Ministry, it is going to collaborate with fifteen other Ministries namely Works and Housing, Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Roads among others to bring reprieve to the Zongo Communities.
In a remark the Queen mother Anohuma Naa Koodee appealed to the Minister to help assist the residents of the Race Course area as many of the houses in the area were built on quarries that were reclaimed by the residents themselves.
According to her, facilities like drainage among others are urgently needed in the area to bring joy to the people.
She took the opportunity tell the minister how bad the roads in the area are.
Alhaji M.J Sissy, chairman of the council pledged to support the ministry to enable it achieve the dream of making Zongos a safe place to live in.