Accra, April 14, GNA – The Arts and Skills Technology Institute (ASTI) has graduated 124 students at its fifth graduation ceremony, using the occasion to call for increased investment in youth skills development for accelerated industrial growth.
The graduates received certificates in garment making, cosmetology, fashion design, millinery, mechanised farming, entrepreneurship and digital marketing, reflecting ASTI’s focus on practical, demand-driven training.
Officials said the ceremony highlighted the institute’s expanding role in preparing Ghana’s workforce through hands-on skills development and regional collaboration to support employment and economic growth.
Ms Rebecca Donkor, Founder and President of ASTI, who announced this in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday, reflected on the institute’s journey from “a handful of graduates and a great big dream” to hundreds of certified professionals today.
“We are not done. ASTI will keep growing, keep innovating, and keep producing the skilled workforce that Ghana and Africa need. Because we believe, with every fibre of our institutional soul, that skills are the future,” she said.
She appealed to the government and policymakers to deepen support for technical and vocational education.
“Strategic investment in skills training is not just an educational priority; it is an economic imperative,” she said.
Adding, “By strengthening partnerships, expanding funding opportunities, and creating enabling policies, we can unlock the full potential of our youth and accelerate national development.”
The graduating cohort included 45 trainees from the Ghana TVET Voucher Project and Ghana Jobs and Skills Apprenticeship Project, 30 beneficiaries of ASTI’s 5th Anniversary Scholarship Programme, and 49 participants from the Ghana Skills Development Fund (GSDF).
Since its inception, ASTI has trained over 3,000 individuals across Ghana and West Africa, including students from Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
Industry leaders graced the ceremony, among them GSDF Fund Manager Mr Dunwell Ekow Eku, Nguvu Mining CEO Angela List, Marie Noelle Spa & Salon CEO Marie Noelle Yakubu, Slid Industries CEO Sandy Osei-Ayeman, and GHABA President Tina Yirenkyi.
Their presence highlighted ASTI’s partnerships with corporate institutions, trade associations, and public sector stakeholders.
Addressing the graduates, Ms Donkor charged, “Class of 2024–2025, today you close a chapter. But more importantly, you open one. May it be written with courage, with craftsmanship, and with pride. Congratulations, you have earned this moment! God bless you. God bless ASTI. God bless Ghana.”
ASTI reaffirmed its mission to empower, innovate, and transform lives through skills training, positioning itself as a hub for employability and sustainable development in Ghana and Africa.
GNA
Edited by D. I. Laary/George-Ramsey Benamba