30,000 youth to receive ICT training
Thirty thousand more youth are expected to start their training under the ICT Module of the Ghana Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA) later this year.
The beneficiaries are expected to be trained in a wide range of areas related to ICT, including mobile phone and computer assembling and repairs as well as entrepreneurship skills.
This follows the successful execution of the third contract by Rlg Communications and GYEEDA.
Alhaji Amidu Sulemana, Upper West Regional Minister announced this in Wa during the graduation of 537 youth who have already completed their skills acquisition training at the Rlg Institute of Technology.
The number forms part of the 7,134 beneficiaries who constituted the final batch of the third contract which had in it a total of 24,000 beneficiaries.
Alhaji Sulemana said the project was absolutely necessary as it offered an assurance to the teaming youth that the government had them in mind and would continue to implement youth friendly policies to empower them.
The Regional Minister also commended the continuous desire of the Ministry of Youth and Sports in ensuring that GYEEDA was given the necessary resources to facilitate the recruitment and training of more youth irrespective of their political affiliation.
This, he said, was imperative to correct the notion that only party youth befitted from GYEEDA.
Alhaji Sulemana also commended Rlg for expanding its training facilities across the country to pave way for more trainees to enroll.
He noted that government extremely appreciated the company’s effort in ensuring that the ICT module succeeded.
Mr. Yakubu Duogu, the Wa Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) urged the trainees to emulate the example of the Rlg Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Roland Agambiri by taking advantage of the programme to become accomplished entrepreneurs.
Mr. Nurideen Saani, Regional GYEEDA Coordinator said the Agency was focusing on youth entrepreneurship and expanding its self-employment modules, adding that over 100,000 youth were in the process of being set up in small scale business ventures.
These include grass cutter rearing, bamboo processing, mobile phone repairs and assembling, dressmaking, sheanut and sheabutter processing and basketry among others.
Mr. Saani announced that the World Bank was supporting the programme with $65 million and urged the youth to develop good business plans and forward them to GYEEDA for financial support.
Mr. Isaac Appiah, Head of the Rlg Institute of Technology noted that in the six-month mobile telephony certification programme, the trainees were taken through a number of courses including introduction to computers, mobile phone soft and hard wares, basic electronics and entrepreneurial skills.
The training, he believed, was enough to challenge the beneficiaries to position themselves adequately to face what he termed a challenging world driven by technology, innovation and knowledge.
Mr. Appiah said Rlg was pleased to partner government to implement the programme.
He added that upon recommendation by the Parliamentary Select Committee on Trade, Industry and Tourism the company had decided to expand its training facilities to ensure that a lot more of the youth gained access to ICT Education and training.
Currently, the company had 46 centers dotted across the country and they hoped to double the number to ensure easy access by all irrespective of location, background or financial status, he said, adding that Rlg looked forward to engaging over 30,000 youth in its assembly plant after the expansion project on the plant.
He stated that the company would continue to do more until it reached its One million employment ratio in the country as promised by its Chief Executive Officer.
Source: GNA