The African Youth Empowerment and Development Network (AfRYED- NET) has over the weekend donated thirty boxes of books to two libraries in Kintampo in the Bono East and Bamboi in the Savannah Region of Ghana.
Making the presentation at Kintampo, the Executive Secretary of AfRYED-NET, Dr Kwaku Anane-Gyinde explained that the purpose of the donation is to empower the Youth through reading, learning and skills training.
According to him, no country/society can develop in the present global environment without the ability to read and write and as such, it is critical that governments, individuals and non-governmental organisations support local communities with facilities and reading material
Dr Kwaku Anane-Gyinde who is a lecturer at the GIMPA Law Faculty said in addition to the library project, AfRYED-NET is also engaged in other programmes including public education, sensitisation of the youth on illegal migration, drug abuse, girl-child education, the causes of climate change and skills training in various trades.
He thanked the individuals especially Mr Kafui Dei of GBC and Mrs Ellen Mensah, a retired educationalist for supporting the library project and called on other donors to support AfRYED-NET to reach fifty libraries that have been targeted for 2022/2023
The Director of the Kintampo Municipal Library, Mr Amoako Mensah who received the items thanked AfRYED-NET for its kind gesture and hoped other NGOs and individuals would emulate same.
He said as the only library in the entire Municipality of more than two hundred thousand (200,000) people the Kintampo Municipal Library faces a number of challenges such as broken down air conditioners, inadequate electricity to power computers and part of the building that has been destroyed by a rainstorm.
At a similar presentation in Bamboi in the Bole District of the Savannah Region, Dr Kwaku Anane-Gyinde called on parents to invest in the education of their children/wards adding "Investment in education yields the best dividends/returns."
He argues that the best arsenal that can be deployed to fight social inequality is education because it enables and empowers individuals to overcome ignorance, deprivation and poverty.
Receiving the books on behalf of the North, Mo Traditional Council, Nnaa Dompeh Antwi, Chief of Carpenter expressed gratitude to AfRYED-NET for the support and appealed to other philanthropic organisations and individuals to follow suit.
Nnaa Dompeh appealed to children in the community to patronise the library so as to reap its full benefit.
The Bamboi Community Library is being housed in a multi-purpose community centre built by the ZAKAT Foundation of America.