By Albert Futukpor, GNA
Tamale, May 06, GNA – Representatives of public and private institutions have undergone training to strengthen their capacity to integrate social clauses into procurement processes, thereby promoting employment opportunities for trained youth artisans.
The day’s training was also to build participants’ understanding of public procurement principles and legal frameworks, enhance knowledge on social clauses and their role in inclusive procurement and equip them with practical skills to incorporate social clauses into tender documents.
It was organized by the Ghana Developing Communities Association (GDCA), an NGO, as part of its implementation of the Project to help strengthen social cohesion in strategic cross-border areas (PARCS TVET).
Participants included the management and procurement team of Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies, trained youth, artisans, chiefs, master craftspeople and private companies.
The project, which began in December, 2022 with support from Acting for Life, and funding from the French Development Agency, seeks to strengthen social cohesion in strategic cross-border territories as well as to support an inclusive socio-economic development of the territories.
So far, 240 young people from six districts namely Karaga, Gushegu, Tatali-Sangule, Chereponi, Bawku West, and Bongo have been trained in various technical and vocational skills including electrical installation, plumbing, Plaster of Paris ceiling, tiling, poultry production, and beekeeping amongst others to enable them to earn sustainable incomes and strengthen social cohesion.
Mr Philip Gmabi, Executive Director, GDCA, speaking during the training in Tamale, said integrating the trained youth artisans into district projects through procurement and tender processes would not only provide them with employment but also help strengthen their skills through practical engagement.
Public procurement accounts for a significant share of government expenditure and offers an opportunity to promote social inclusion, especially when social clauses are integrated into tender documents, hence the training.
Mr Gmabi said “This will ensure that the income generated remains within the local economy and contributes to the development of the districts.”
He was hopeful that district assemblies would adopt the initiative by including provisions in their procurement frameworks to engage local artisans in development projects.
He emphasized that “Such measures would help reduce unemployment amongst the youth and improve household incomes while boosting local economic growth.”
Mr Abdul-Hafiz Yussif, Programmes Officer at GDCA said the project was to facilitate local development by expanding and diversifying the offer of training programmes, strengthening informed local governance by offering tools to help with decision-making and strengthening multi-actor governance at the local level to promote inclusive socio-economic development.
Mr Abdul Hafiz Adam, Gushegu Municipal Chief Executive, commended the initiative and described it as a practical approach to addressing youth unemployment in the country and contributing to local economic development
He said the training had highlighted opportunities within public procurement that could be leveraged to create jobs for young people at the district level.
He assured the organisers that the Assembly would explore ways to integrate local artisans into its projects to ensure sustainable employment and skills development and emphasized need for fair remuneration for artisans to motivate more young people to acquire vocational skills and contribute to national development.
Munkaila Suraya, a youth, who underwent training in tiling under the PARCS TVET project, expressed gratitude to GDCA and its partners for the opportunity, saying she was proud to be working in a field traditionally dominated by men.
She said, “I am now confident that I am ready to take up jobs and earn an income to support myself and my family.”
GNA
Edited by Eric K Amoh /Kenneth Odeng Adade