A total of 150 women in the Ayawaso West Municipal Assembly (AWMA) have been trained in bead-making to equip them with necessary skills to improve their livelihoods.
The week-long training saw two batches of women within the municipality being trained to make beaded accessories such as necklaces, slippers, key holders, bracelets, waist beads, bags, purse, broaches and dress embellishment.
The beneficiaries received certificate of participation and were offered with the needed equipment to venture into business.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghanaian Times on Saturday, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for AWMA, Ms Sandra Owusu Ahenkorah, explained that the purpose of the training was to empower women, men, as well as the youth, with the skills to become entrepreneurs.
She noted that skill acquisition had become relevant for national development and expressed the commitment of the assembly to invest more in skills training to reduce poverty rate and improve skills development.
Ms Ahenkorah expressed regret that skills acquisition, a viable economic activity had been relegated to the background, adding that lack of vocational training and practical application of knowledge had crippled the progress of the nation, hence called on the citizenry to embrace skills.
She observed that the trend of beads making was growing at a faster pace, thus people were getting more in tuned with locally made products, stressing that the idea made her team mobilise the indigenes to train them on bead making.
Explaining the traditional significance of beads, the MCE said beads were quintessential properties bequeathed from one generation to the other in most cultures which was essential for the country to export.
She said her outfit had lined up other skills training programmes like tailoring, cosmetology, liquid soap making among others and urged the youth, especially students to take advantage of the opportunity to learn extra skills and make money for future gains.
Ms Ahenkorah promised to also give the beneficiaries the needed funds for them to start up their businesses to help curb the unemployment situation bedeviling the country.
One of the beneficiaries, Miss Gifty Ziem lauded the assembly for such training and promised to make good use of the skills to also train others to stand on their own to supplement the developmental agenda of the country.
PHOTO: Beads pix
CAPTION: First batch participants holding their certificates together with the MCE after the training
