Elvis Afriyie Ankrah and Cardinal Turkson at the inauguration of the institute
Presidential Envoy for Interfaith and Ecumenical Relations, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, has urged Ghanaians to embrace Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institute as a pathway to national transformation.
Speaking at the launch of the John Kofi Turkson Memorial Institute in honour of Cardinal Appiah Turkson’s late brother, Dr. J. Kofi Turkson, in the Central Region, Mr. Afriyie Ankrah, said nations such as Malaysia, Singapore and Japan were once on the same economic footing as Ghana at independence but surpassed it by prioritising TVET.
“My hope and belief is that with President Mahama’s vision, Ghana can achieve similar progress. I even pray our prophets will start seeing visions of Ghana becoming like Malaysia and Singapore—and not just visions of death,” he said, drawing strong applause.
He also used the occasion to clarify his new role, stressing that as a Presidential Envoy, his mandate is to promote interfaith and ecumenical dialogue, not to gather prophecies as has been suggested in some circles.
On the issue of prophecy, he explained, only emerged as an emergency intervention following the wave of doomsday predictions that flooded the country after the tragic helicopter crash that claimed the lives of eight gallant men on national assignment.
The John Kofi Turkson Memorial Institute is in memory of John Kofi Turkson, who died in the 2000 Kenya Airways Flight 431 crash in Abidjan at the age of 45.
John Kofi Turkson, an energy economist and former priest-in-training, worked with the United Nations on projects promoting clean energy solutions for households.
He was enroute to Uganda to moderate a conference when the fatal accident occurred. Although only nine people survived the crash, his body was recovered and buried in Ghana.
Cardinal Peter Appiah Turkson brother of the late J. K. Turkson said, “The family chose to channel compensation from Kenya Airways into a lasting legacy rather than dividing it among relatives. Guided by John’s passion for education and human capital development, we established the vocational training institute in our hometown area of Nyamfieku, near Nyamoransa, in the Central Region”.
The institute currently offers courses in sewing, computer science, cosmetology, and a fourth vocational skill, with plans to expand into innovative farming, fishing, and digital technology applications. It has already enrolled 80 students ahead of its formal inauguration.
The project complements existing initiatives like the John Kofi Turkson Foundation on Energy, which continues his professional legacy through lecture series at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and the University of Ghana.
“Our aim is to create something physical, visible, and impactful in the village, a testament to his life and work,” Cardinal Turkson said.
A Business Desk Report