By Jesse Ampah Owusu
Akyem Maase (E/R), Nov. 19, GNA – Amagyei Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility Wing of a legal firm, Amagyei Chambers, is training some 80 young women at Akyem Maase in the Abuakwa South Municipality in the production of beauty and household products.
The trainees are being empowered to become self-reliant and also generate employment by offering vocational skills and training to others.
The five-day training, which started Tuesday, November 19, is focusing on the production of hypochlorite bleach, multipurpose liquid soap and liquid antiseptic.
Other products are black soap shower gel, shea butter body cream, washing powder, laundry bar soap, Azumah blow soda soap balls, moisturising hair shampoo and wig hair oil.
Speaking at a meeting with the community members to launch the transformational programme, on Monday, at the Mt Olivet Methodist Church, Maase, Ms Ofosua Amagyei, Founder of the organisation, said she was moved to give back to her hometown, Akyem Maase, after realising that most of the youth there were unemployed.
This is because they lack the needed skills and resources to be economically productive.
Consequently, the Foundation would continue to engage the trainees upon graduation and offer them financial and equipment support to establish their businesses, she stated.
They would also be given financial literacy and money management lessons to prepare them well for the job market.
Ms Amagyei said the Foundation would also provide technical and vocational training in other fields, in both Maase and its neighbouring communities, towards empowering lives and transforming communities.
“This is our maiden project, and so far we have about 80 women who have registered for this programme. Apart from the vocational skills training, we would have technical skills training in other fields…,” she explained.
The Amagyei Foundation, an affiliate of the Ghana TVET Service, will be organising the training in collaboration with Peach Skills Hub Africa.
“We also have literacy and adult education for training those who have never been to school,” Ms Amagyei added.
Nana Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng, Board Chairman of Ghana News Agency, said technical and vocational education should be appreciated by all and not be downgraded because it empowered people with the requisite knowledge and skills to thrive and prosper a nation.
It also served as a bridge to addressing the unemployment gap the country faced, and needed to be upscaled and made attractive to the youth.
Nana Gyan-Apenteng, who is also the Apagyahene of Akyem Tafo-Ati, near Akyem Maase, urged the implementation of a comprehensive national policy on technical and vocation training with the productive utilisation of the knowledge and skills to promote national prosperity and economic transformation.
He explained that without follow-up programmes to set up such graduates into productive ventures and also nurture them to thrive, they would soon revert to the streets to hawk or engage in unproductive activities.
“If you consider cosmetics alone, we import nearly a hundred million US dollars worth, but much of these can be made in this country. If you look at our import bill, a lot of the products can be made right here to substitute them.
“This may look like a small beginning, but it’s a very important step we must take it seriously,” he emphasised, in commending the Amagyei Foundation initiative.
Mr Charles Noble Quainoo, Greater Accra Regional Head of Informal Apprenticeship Division, Ghana TVET Service, also commended the Foundation for the initiative, saying, the TVET Service would help provide certification to the trainees and ensure that they abided by the quality standards.
He expressed the hope that the training would go along way to equip the community to become a hub of vocational talents and entrepreneurs in the future.
Mr Quainoo urged the beneficiaries to take their training seriously, and be open- minded to acquire new skills to support their livelihoods.
Osabarima Adu Asare Bosompem III, Chief of Akyem Maase, said they would support the Foundation in its quest to build the capacities of their people.
He urged the trainees to form cooperatives among themselves to scale up the production of their products for use by residents in the community.
Ms Ama Danquah, one of the selected trainees, on behalf of her colleagues, expressed their willingness to participate fully in the training programme.
She said they were hoping to acquire the needed skills to create their own consumable products and brands for the Ghanaian market.
Akyem Maase is a community located in the Abuakwa South Municipality of the Eastern Region.
The community falls under the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Area and shares boundaries with Akyem Asafo and Akyem Tafo communities.
GNA