About 200 youth at Madina in the La Nkwantannang Municipality of the Greater Accra Region have undergone a four-day vocational skills and entrepreneurial training.
The objective of the training is to develop their entrepreneurial spirit and enable them establish their businesses as well as reduce their over dependency on others.
The event, organised by Shalom Grace Mission Foundation, a charitable wing of the Bible Baptist Church, Madina, in collaboration with, Mission Central, USA, and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Madina, Francis Sosu, took the beneficiaries through sewing, handy craft, catering, catfish rearing and graphic designing.
Speaking at the opening ceremony in Accra on Tuesday, the Director of the Foundation, Reverend Dr Noah T. Quarshie, urged the beneficiaries to take advantage of entrepreneur and skills development programmes being initiated by private organisations and the government to empower them economically.
He said as “Ministers after feeding the soul with the word of God, there is the need to help the individuals to know how to acquire the skills and knowledge to earn their living without being dependent.”
The Director of the Foundation, who is also the Head Pastor of the Church, stressed on the need for women and girls to be encouraged to acquire extra entrepreneur skills even if they are educated build their own businesses.
“Over reliance on others for our needs breeds abuse, hatred and others to mostly women and girls but self-sufficient is the key to living a fulfilled life and the church must preach that,” Revered Dr Quarshie indicated.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Madina, Francis Sosu, underlined that it was not enough to have a university degree without any entrepreneurship and skills acquisition to support you on the job market.
The MP assured organisers of his office support and a financial provision under the Ejumarah programme of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government and the Madina Job Centre initiative to assist participants to set up their own business after the programme.
Ms Ruth Ward, a Volunteer from the Mission Central, highlighted that the training would equip the beneficiaries the skills needed to lead independent lives.
According to her, the opportunity to use one’s hands and head to create something for themselves should be a turning point in becoming self-sufficient.
The closing ceremony was preceded with free health screening and an awards
BY VICTOR A. BUXTON