By Florence Afriyie Mensah
Ejisu-Onwe (Ash), Sept. 06, GNA-Engage Now Africa, a humanitarian non-governmental organisation, has described the issue of literacy as a ‘red hot-button switch’ that needs special attention for national development.
Madam Cecilia Amankwah, the Country Director for Engage Now Africa, said presently multilingualism was a common practice for many, adding that empowering people by adopting a first language-base was an effective approach to literacy development.
She said there was a pressing need to harness literacy’s transformative potential to promote mutual understanding, social cohesion and peace, adding that, though adult and youth literacy were expensive, it should not be ignored in any way.
Globally, at least one out of seven adults aged 15 and above, representing a staggering 765 million, lacked basic literacy, which amounted to learning poverty.
She raised these concerns when Engage Now Africa celebrated the 2024 International Literacy Day at Ejisu-Onwe in the Ashanti Region.
The event was held on the theme “Promoting multilingual education: Literacy for Mutual Understanding and Peace.”
She noted that, Engage Now Africa, had complemented literacy with vocational skills over the years and stood to equip the learner to be completely empowered to take charge of their destiny.
The NGO had invested heavily in vocational training in hand sanitisers, liquid soap, disinfectants, shower gel, batik tie and dye, beads making, baking, washing powder, leather works, hair products, and bleach production.
After this training, the learners are given startup materials to establish businesses, the Country Director disclosed.
She said the organisation was working in 14 regions in Ghana serving 282 communities.
More than 8,000 occupational skills learners have received training and graduated with the necessary start-up kits.
Madam Amankwah believed that when vocational skills and literacy worked in tandem, one could be empowered to cause a positive change in society.
She appealed to the government to support NGOs that provided vocational skills with startup capital to ensure that the learners, after training, established businesses to ease the pressure of unemployment.
She said Engage Now Africa would continue to expand literacy programmes to benefit the vulnerable in society and called for partnerships from entities to achieve the transformational agenda in Ghana.
The Day was also used to graduate some 50 learners who had completed vocational and literacy training in the Ejisu municipality.
GNA