The Member of Parliament (MP) for Akatsi South and First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Bernard Ahiafor, reaffirmed his commitment to youth development, skills training, and social transformation during his address at the 2025 Avenor Tutudo Festival. 

Speaking to hundreds gathered for the colourful festival, the MP highlighted several interventions aimed at empowering the youth, reducing unemployment, and supporting vulnerable groups, especially young people living in ghettos.

Mr Ahiafor revealed that through the National Apprenticeship Programme and his own MP’s Apprenticeship Programme, significant progress had been made in providing practical, employable skills to young people across the constituency.

According to him, over 300 youths graduated last year after completing various apprenticeship programmes. All trainees, he emphasised, were supported with the tools and equipment needed to start their own businesses.

"Everyone who learned dressmaking or tailoring has been given a sewing machine. Those who studied carpentry, masonry, woodwork, electronics, or welding have also received their equipment to start work," he said.

The MP further disclosed ongoing collaborations with the minister for labour, jobs and employment, who has compiled a list of skilled workers eligible for overseas job opportunities. Having already trained and certified many young craftsmen and women, Mr Ahiafor said it was now easier to secure placements for them abroad.

He added that some nurses were also expected to benefit from international job avenues, expanding opportunities beyond artisanship.

Looking ahead, the MP announced plans to recruit an additional 300 trainees by the end of the year to undergo a three-year training programme after which they would graduate and receive start-up tools.

A notable part of his address focused on transforming at-risk youth living in ghettos. He praised the efforts of a popular local figure, Black Ocean, who is working with his office to identify young people willing to abandon the street life and learn a trade.

"We are using this method to ensure that we get some of the ghetto boys to come and learn trades and shift away from the behaviours associated with ghetto life," he said.

"Black Ocean is helping us identify those who want to be transformed so they can join the National Apprenticeship Programme."

The MP emphasised that all these interventions were designed to "reshape the future" of the youth, support their personal growth, and promote long-term community development.

The 2025 Avenor Tutudo Festival, a celebration of unity and cultural heritage, provided the perfect platform for the MP to outline these far-reaching social and economic initiatives that many believe would significantly uplift the Avenor youth.