That is according to the Member of Parliament for Kwesimintsim and Vice Chairman of the Select Committee on Education, Dr Prince Hamid Armah. Contributing to a statement on the floor of Parliament, Dr Armah stated the jobs and skills project currently being implemented by the government will ensure the training of master craftsmen and women, as well as apprentices who will be supported financially to create jobs and to boost the economy. Even though TVET has the potential to transform Ghana’s economy, the Kwesimintsim law maker said governments over the years have paid little attention to the sector. “Mr Speaker, if you look at our school system, there are two pathways, the grammar type and the TVET sector. Yet we have focused attention over the years on the grammar type at the expense of TVET. There has been serious and significant investment in the Grammar type without a commensurate investment in TVET,” he stated. He noted that the resplendent attires worn by the law makers are handiworks of products of TVET and a lot could be achieved by them if they are given the needed support. He said given the “pervasive influence” of TVET on the economy and its potential to address unemployment issues, it is important to strengthen the TVET service provision, something, he said the government has started doing. “Quite remarkably, the NPP government, under the leadership of his President Akufo-Addo, has since 2017 initiated several policy interventions to address these problems.” He cited the passage of the Pre-tertiary Education Act, which he said will now streamline all activities of pre-tertiary TVET institutions and bring them under the Ministry of Education. This will also help to ensure standardization of all TVET education and certification, he pointed out. Dr Armah, who is also the immediate past Director General of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, (NaCCA), cited the apparent confusion in the pathways for TVET as a major disincentive for students. Unlike the grammar type students who have a clearer pathway right from primary, senior high, to tertiary, that of TVET is a little “checkered and cumbersome,” Dr Armah noted. “There is the need for us to align the current national vocational training qualification to the national qualification training framework for the grammar type so that there can be a direct link so that if one decides to move from stenography into the grammar type school, for example, you know exactly where the person can start from,” he stated. He was happy the Education Ministry has initiated the process of developing a national qualification process to fill in the gaps. Source: Myjoyonline.com
She said there is the need to begin teaching innovation at the lower levels of education up to the university and a departure from the ’chew and pour” system to develop a framework that will enable the students to explore. Miss Anatu added that universities should begin to look at designing programmes that are marketable to the business community. “Our society is a reflection of what you put in,“ she emphasis. She said this at the first in a series of innovation seminars organized by the Innovation Communication Department of the University for Development Studies (UDS) Nyankpala. According to her, innovative technology creates new knowledge that enables one to create jobs and maximises time. Miss Anatu said another problem is politicians lack the expertise to lead the quest towards developing the environment for business to strive. She, however, called for collaboration between entrepreneurs to build big brands that can compete with the rest of the world. Miss Anatu called on governments to develop business hubs to unearth new talents by teaching the youth about innovative businesses, support them with startup funds. Source: MyJoyOnline
Under the theme “Ghana’s Brown Gold: Sustaining Investments & Leveraging AfCFTA”, the event is purposed to highlight the opportunities along the cocoa value chain that can be leveraged by investors, as well as sensitize industry players on valuable commercial opportunities offered by the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). Along with key stakeholders such as the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Cocoa Value Addition Artisans Association of Ghana (COVAAAGH), Niche Cocoa Industry Ltd, their deliberations will border on the current policy interventions being rolled out by government to foster the growth of the sector, and how the sector can be further enhanced. By generating about US$2 billion annually in foreign exchange, cocoa continues to play an important role in Ghana’s economy, serving as a major contributor to government’s revenue. The industry employs about 800,000 farm families and has grossly expanded economic activities in rural communities. In spite of the immense contribution of this agricultural commodity, the issue of ‘cocoa value addition’ has lingered on for years. Successive governments have thus, made it a national goal in their bid to enhance earnings from the industry, in order to optimize the vast potential of the cocoa value chain. According to the CEO of GIPC, Yofi Grant, the volatility of cocoa prices in the international market, makes it imperative for industry players to add value to cocoa produce. He further opines that, while Ghana is open to welcoming more investors into the industry, there is concerted effort in partnering investors seeking to industrialize the cocoa sector and add value to the cocoa beans. Meanwhile, Cocobod has stressed the need for multi-stakeholder partnerships in advancing the cocoa industry, as they seek joint efforts for planting and harvesting, purchases, collection and bagging, haulage, warehousing (partially) pests and disease control, research and development and external marketing, quality assurance, and processing. The GIPC’s Cocoa Value Chain Investment Meeting will therefore encourage business-to-business engagements between local and foreign industry players, in upscaling the sector.