The Deputy Managing Director of the Cocoa Processing Company (CPC), Fatimah Amoadu, has launched a foundation aimed at providing skills training for residents of Ekumfi and surrounding communities in the Central Region.
The NGO, known as the Obaapa Fatimah Amoadu Foundation (OFAF), also graduated 55 women from Ekumfi who successfully completed training under its maiden skills development programme.
The beneficiaries received training in hairdressing, fashion design, and baking to help them acquire employable skills, particularly in entrepreneurship.
The graduates were also presented with start-up tools, including sewing machines, hair dryers, and gas ovens, to help them establish their businesses.
Speaking at the launch and graduation ceremony held in Mankesim under the theme “The Future Is Handmaking,” the Founder of the Foundation, Fatimah Amoadu, said the foundation, which was established ten years ago in Accra, was relocated to the Central Region to address the need to empower the youth of Ekumfi with relevant vocational skills.
Madam Fatimah, a native of Ekumfi Immuna and Srafa, also indicated that it was important to empower people in the area with sustainable livelihoods rather than opportunities that only offer short-term benefits.
She said “Our focus has always been on teaching young girls how to fish rather than giving them fish. When you equip someone with a skill, you give them dignity, independence and a future”.
She also stated that 100 girls from Ekumfi were enrolled in an artisanal training programme four years ago, out of which 55 have successfully graduated, while the rest are still undergoing training.
The Paramount Queen Mother of the Ekumfi Traditional Area, Nana Benyiwa VI, who commended Obaapa Fatimah Amoadu for its investment in human capital development also prayed for God’s blessings upon her life.
The Queen Mother further urged the graduates to utilise the skills they have acquired to make a positive impact on their families and society as a whole.
The Chief of Ekumfi Srafa and Sumankwahen of the Ekumfi Traditional Area, Nana Nyeiku VII, who lauded the foundation for the intervention, however appealed to the founder to extend the support to boys in the area as well.
The launch and graduation ceremony marked a major milestone in the work of the Obaapa Fatimah Amoadu Foundation, reinforcing the role of vocational skills and community-driven initiatives in tackling youth unemployment.
With plans to expand its training programmes, the Foundation is expected to continue empowering more young people in Ekumfi and other parts of the Central Region through practical skills development and entrepreneurship.