By Rihana Adam
Accra, Aug. 11, GNA – The Youth Employment and Skills Chapter of the Pan-African Coalition for Transformation (YES-PACT) has engaged the Ghana Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Service to discuss policy implementation, skills development and opportunities within the TVET sector.
The engagement, held as a Knowledge Café under the Youth Opportunity and Transformation in Africa (YOTA) initiative, formed part of activities leading to the National TVET Week 2026.
Mr Eric Saforo, YES-PACT Coordinator for YOTA, said the Knowledge Café provided an opportunity for stakeholders to engage the Ghana TVET Service on its work, experiences, strategic direction and preparations towards the National TVET Week.
He said YES-PACT, a programme managed by the African Centre for Economic Transformation (ACET), sought to work with government through advocacy by reviewing existing policies, identifying implementation gaps and supporting efforts to address those gaps.
He said, “the objective is to work with government for advocacy by looking at policies and identifying gaps in their implementation and working with government to bridge those gaps.”
Mr Saforo said the engagement was also aimed at exploring how YES-PACT could support the Ghana TVET Service in implementing policies and programmes designed to strengthen TVET delivery in the country.
He said YES-PACT brought together stakeholders from the Ministry of Education, private sector, civil society organisations and other relevant institutions to contribute to discussions on youth employment and skills development.
He noted that misconceptions about TVET continued to exist, with some people wrongly viewing students in the sector as academically weak.
He said there was the need to change that perception by creating public awareness about the opportunities available through TVET and strengthening relationships between TVET institutions and industry.
He said strengthening TVET could also attract investment, accelerate youth employment and empower young people to discuss and address challenges confronting them.
Mr Saforo said the Knowledge Café was one of the final activities under the current YES-PACT project cycle before the commencement of another phase.
He said the initiative had also engaged policymakers, private-sector representatives, civil society organisations and other stakeholders on issues including TVET, ICT education policies and youth employment.
He said recommendations from the policy-gap discussions would be presented to the appropriate authorities, including the Presidency, to support improved policy implementation.
Mr Saforo called on individuals, businesses and institutions to invest in TVET and support programmes aimed at equipping young people with relevant skills for the labour market.
Madam Hephzibah Armah, Acting Deputy Director and Head of Corporate Affairs at the Ghana TVET Service, said the Service participated in the Knowledge Café to present its plans for the National TVET Week 2026.
She described the National TVET Week as a flagship programme that brought together stakeholders in the TVET sector to discuss reforms, challenges and opportunities while encouraging learners to develop the skills needed to contribute to national development.
She said TVET was an important component of national development, noting that the sector equipped people with practical skills that could contribute to employment and economic growth.
Madam Armah said the Ghana TVET Service did not focus only on formal TVET institutions but also worked closely with the informal sector.
She explained that the Service had a dedicated division responsible for working with people in the informal sector through training and retraining programmes based on standards set by the government.
She said, “we also have meetings with the informal trade associations, they all form part of the TVET deliver, and this also forms part of curriculum development in the TVET space.”
Madam Armah said the Service therefore considered both the formal and informal components of TVET in its efforts to improve skills development across the country.
She encouraged stakeholders and the public to support TVET and help create greater awareness of the opportunities it offered young people.
The National TVET Week is expected to provide a platform for stakeholders, industry players, policymakers, training institutions and learners to discuss developments in the sector and promote TVET as a pathway to skills development, employment and national transformation.
GNA
Edited by George-Ramsey Benamba