Some of the MPs inspecti ng TVET project
Director-General of the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET), Dr. Fred Kyei Asamoah, has said that President Akufo-Addo’s vision of making Ghana a TVET hub is gradually taking shape.
He said there is ongoing infrastructure projects to revamp TVET and give the youth more employable skills.
He made this known when he took the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education to visit to some selected TVET projects and report back to the House.
The committee visited a new campus for the Accra Technical University at Mpehuasem (Samsam) which was inaugurated in 2018 and is currently being restocked with new tools and equipment under the Ghana-China Project on the Rehabilitation and Upgrading of Equipment in Technical Universities and Institutes.
The committee also visited the Ashaiman Technical Institute where there is a newly constructed workshop with state-of-the-art tools and equipment under the same project.
Furthermore, the team visited the NVTI headquarters and the Construction Machinery VTO, both at East Legon, where there is ongoing construction works as part of the overall upgrade and modernisation of the TVET system in Ghana, which commenced in 2019.
In 2018, whilst speaking at the centenary celebrations of Asuansi Technical Institute at Asuansi in the Central Region, President Akufo-Addo said his government is determined to make Ghana a world-class centre for skills development, and a leading country in technical and vocational education training delivery in Africa.
He further outlined the government’s strategic policy on technical and vocational education and training.
According to Dr. Asamoah, the government is upgrading and modernising all National Vocational Training Institutes (NVTIs) and Opportunity Industrialisation Centres (OIC), and attributed the massive infrastructure projects currently ongoing and restructuring in the various regions across the country to revamp the TVET sector to the President’s determination to ensure Ghana produces graduates with basic employable skills.
He said the government since 2017 has resolved to invest over $700 million to strengthen TVET and as part of the effort is upgrading all NVTIs and OICs nationwide.
“The government is also constructing three foundries and machining centres, work on which is ongoing to enhance effective practical training at the various training centres, he said, adding “the government is also upgrading 17 technical and vocational institutes across the country and building an office complex to support the unit responsible for TVET examination.”
The Chairperson of the Parliamentary Select Committee, Kwabena Amankwa Asiamah, said, “the latest machines are being installed and we can see that these machines will help our youth to learn the modern technology and also fit in the modern way of doing things so we can rub shoulders with all other students who are doing technical education in any other country.”
Parliamentary Delegation
The 20-member committee was led by its chairperson Mr. Amankwa Asiamah. The other members are Prince Hamid Armah (vice-chairman) Peter Kwasi Nortsu-Kotoe (ranking member) Clement Abas Apaak (deputy ranking member) Andrew Amoako Asiamah, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, Kingsley Nyarko, Augustine Tawiah, Kwasi Ameyaw-Kyeremeh, and Joseph Kwame Kumah.
The rest included Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, Bernard Ahiafor, Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe, Christian Corleytey Otuteye, Dakoa Newman, Moses Anim, Queenstar Maame Pokuah Sawyerr, Peter Yaw Kwakye-Ackah and Ayariga Mahama.
The Deputy Minister for Education, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, who is also an MP, represented the Minister for Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum during the tour.
By Ernest Kofi Adu