A total of 115 students of African Freelancers (TAF) College, a tuition-free school, have graduated with various employable skills to enable them to become entrepreneurs.
The students, some of whom are from Cameroon, Liberia, Ivory Coast and Nigeria, were trained in graphic designing, cinematography, music production, digital marketing, cosmetology, fashion design, real estate management and event management.
At its maiden graduation ceremony in Accra yesterday, Rev. Johnnie Oquaye, founder and president of TAF College, said the graduation was a key milestone in the college’s mission of transforming school drop-outs and unemployed youth into creative entrepreneurs by equipping them with innovative enterprise development skills in various fields.
He noted that, the school had created the platform for creative talents across Africa to flourish and be unhindered by financial obstacles and social barriers.
In addition, he stated that, through its partnership with the HACSA Foundation under their Tech4Girls Programme, the college had empowered an additional 10 aspiring female coders to pursue their interests in the technology sector.
As part of its expansion drive in the second year, Reverend Oquaye announced that the college would soon open an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Department that would provide quality training and enable students to take advantage of opportunities in the fast-growing AI industry.
Rev. Oquaye expressed appreciation to all donors for their continuous support, and commended the lecturers for their sacrifices, which included taking only 40 per cent of their salaries, to support the school.
In a keynote address, Mr Gobah Tenge Seddo, an International Peace Ambassador, urged the graduates to be dedicated to duty and eschew all forms of dishonesty and laziness.
“Get into job creation with honesty and focus while setting new standards, and work hard in any environment you find yourselves. Form cooperatives and do not be in a hurry to amass wealth, but be patient and tolerant,” he stressed.
Mr Charles Abani, United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator in Ghana, urged young persons to explore opportunities of various developmental sectors including job creation, food security, digitisation, energy, climate change and education to impact positively on the country.
He urged the graduands to “engage in partnerships to build their enterprises, and remember to give back to sustain the college to benefit future generations.”
Mr Johanna Svanikier, founder and president of The HACSA Foundation, commended the management of the college for the skills training, expansion of the training programmes, and assured of enhanced collaboration, especially in equipping girls with ICT skills.
For his part, the Executive Director of Centre for National Distance Learning and Open Schooling, Nana Gyamfi Adwabour, charged the graduands to enhance their digital skills in addition to the other skills they acquired at TAF.
Dignitaries who graced the event include Professor Mike Oquaye, a former Speaker of Parliament.
BY TIMES REPORTER
