A total of 55 youth, mostly women, have received business start-up kits after going through apprenticeship training in Obuasi under the Young Africa Works Programme.
This brings to 771the number of people in Obuasi who have benefitted from the Young Africa Works Programme since its inception, in areas such as Innovation Creativity and Entrepreneurship and Apprenticeship to Entrepreneurship.
The initiative was designed by the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) and Mastercard Foundation in 2019, and targeted at creating employment and income generating opportunities for the youth to stimulate economic activities in the country.
The 55 beneficiaries who had gone through successful training and mastered skills in cosmetology, dressmaking, welding, metal fabrication and auto mechanic received welding machines, baking ovens, hairdryer machines and auto mechanic tools, among others.
Delivering the items to the beneficiaries, the Obuasi Municipal Chief Executive, Elijah Adansi-Bonah, recounted the Assembly’s support to the apprentice during the National Vocational Technical Institute (NVTI) examination.
To empower the youth to learn trade and be economically independent, he said the Assembly had been sponsoring apprentice to register and write the NVTI examination.
He lauded the initiative, saying the government “remains committed to creating employment opportunities for the youth in Ghana,” as he urged them (youth) to take advantage of such programmes.
“Initiatives like this from GEA and Mastercard with the support of the Obuasi Municipal Assembly is an indication that the government is leaving no stone unturned in its quest to create jobs for the teeming unemployed youth in the country. Let’s continue to support the government to deliver on its promise to create more jobs,” he intoned.
Urging the beneficiaries to add value to what they have learnt, he said,”before you can make great impact and be successful as a business owner, you should add value to what you have acquired through training. I also appeal to you to treat your customers well”.
Mr Kelvin Ofori Atta, Head of Business Advisory Centre (BAC), Obuasi, commended the Municipal Chief Executive for his immense support towards the activities of the BAC and youth empowerment.
On jobs created and businesses established since 2021, Mr Ofori Atta said so fara total of 295 jobs had been created with 79 new businesses established as a result of the many programmes rolled up by the GEA in Obuasi.
Chairman of the Association of Small Scale Industries in Obuasi, Gabriel Dwomfour, advised the beneficiaries to be serious with what they had learnt, improve upon it and also adopt the best practices to market their products or businesses.
FROM KINGSLEY E.HOPE, KUMASI
