The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has challenged heads of public and private institutions to explore and implement innovative ways to complement Government’s job creation efforts across the country.

Speaking at Goaso in the Ahafo Region on Wednesday, 23 November 2022, Dr Bawumia said the youth make up a large proportion of Ghana’s population, and it is important that conscious efforts are made to meet their employment aspirations.

The Vice President made the call at the launch of the first region-led skills development and employment creation intervention, the Ahafo Youth Skills Development and Job Creation Initiative, designed and implemented by the Ahafo Regional Coordinating Council led by Hon George Yaw Boakye, Regional Minister, in collaboration with the private sector.

The programme is designed to train 1,200 youth drawn from all six districts in the region in trades such as Welding, Vulcanizing, General Spraying, ICT, Fashion Designing, Building Construction, Auto Mechanics (Fitting), General Electrical (Auto and Civil), Carpentry and Joinery, Hairdressing, Painting and Decoration.

In addition, each Municipal/District Coordinating Council received a cheque of Ghs25,000 to cater for the training of the youth, with a monitoring team constituted to ensure the trainees go through the appropriate training.

Handing over welding machines, hair dryers, sewing machines, Aluminium ovens, sets of tools (auto mechanics, carpentry, electricals, pedicure, barbering etc), trowels, mallets and other tools to the various Assemblies, Vice President Bawumia noted that Ghana’s youth as a proportion of the total population is growing at a rapid pace.

“The recent census conducted by the Ghana Statistical Service pegs our current youth population at 38.2%. On the positive side, it means Ghana has an abundance of human resources necessary to drive our economic growth and that we are not in danger of facing a shortage of skilled labour.

“This however means we are under immense pressure to ensure that sustainable employment opportunities are created for the youth in order to keep them productive and mitigate the possible security threats posed by an idle youth population.

“It is for this reason that I am excited to join you this afternoon as we launch the Ahafo Youth Skills Development and Employment creation initiative.

“If I am not mistaken, Nana Chair, this is the first regional-led skills development and employment creation intervention and I convey my heartfelt congratulations to the RCC, participating MMDAs and to, especially our private sector partners such as Newmont Ghana Gold Company Limited, Golden Team Mining Company and Supremo Wood Processing Company Limited, who have been great collaborators.”

Dr Bawumia urged the programme implementers to “inculcate entrepreneurship and soft skills training into the curriculum since trainees will be given the much-needed start-up capital to set up their enterprises. Efforts must also be made to connect the beneficiaries to the market to encourage patronage of their services.”

Nana Kwasi Bosomprah I, President and Omanhene of the Goaso Traditional Council who was Chairman for the occasion, urged the trainees and the Assemblies to imbibe the culture of maintenance, pointing out that the outcome of this first cohort will largely determine the future of the programme.

“If you take your training seriously, and you maintain these nice, brand new equipment that you are getting today, the Minister and the people who support him and the RCC will help to train your younger brothers and sisters in future,” he added.