Agongo hands out first 800 of 10,000 free sewing machines to youth

Businessman and philanthropist Alhaji Seidu Agongo has begun handing out 10,000 free sewing machines to vulnerable women and young people across Ghana, presenting the first batch at an event in Accra, according to the Ghanaian Times and GhanaGuardian.

More than 800 machines were distributed in the first phase, with 830 presented at the Madina Astro Turf in Libya Quarters, Accra, Ghana News Online reports. The nationwide programme is being run in partnership with the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme, NEIP, led by its chief executive, Eric Adjei.

The aim, the reports say, is to give beneficiaries the tools to start or expand tailoring and dressmaking businesses, turning skills many already have into incomes they can live on. Further distributions will follow in phases until all 10,000 machines have been handed out. Tailoring is one of the most common trades for young people trying to earn without a formal job, and a machine of one’s own removes the daily cost of renting one or working for someone else.

Speaking at the presentation on Wednesday, 28 October, Mr Agongo urged young Ghanaians to believe in their talents and pursue them with determination. “You should not be shy about your talents, no. Once it is a genuine talent, pursue it and commit your energy, your heart and your time to them,” the Ghanaian Times quotes him as saying.

He told the gathering that breakthroughs are not miracles seen only in movies, but the result of hard work, commitment and a goal — and that many talented young people fail only because they lack the resources and opportunities to develop what they can do.

For some beneficiaries, the machine is already changing the arithmetic of daily life. Hannah Ofori, a young tailoring apprentice at Happy Royal Creation in Oyarifa, told reporters the machine offered renewed hope and a chance at independence, while Philip, a beneficiary from Peace Land at Katamanso, said it would strengthen his livelihood and improve his family’s circumstances, Ghanamma reports.

Mr Agongo put the value of each machine at around GH¢1,000, telling the gathering that a single machine had the power to generate income over a lifetime and sustain entire families. He urged recipients to make good use of the machines, improve their livelihoods and create opportunities for others in their communities.

Anyone hoping to benefit must complete a form available on Mr Agongo’s social media platforms for consideration, the reports say. Mr Agongo has stressed that the programme is strictly non-partisan, with clear guidelines intended to ensure transparency, fairness and equal access across the country.

The sewing machine programme is the latest in a series of interventions by the businessman, who founded the now-defunct Heritage Bank. In July this year, GhanaGuardian reports, he donated food, clothing and other relief materials worth GH¢1.4 million to people affected by the June 29 floods in several Accra communities.

For now, the first 800-plus machines are in the hands of their new owners, and thousands more applicants will be watching for the next phase. Whether the programme reaches its full 10,000 target — and how fairly the machines are shared across the regions — will decide whether it becomes a lasting ladder for young tailors or a one-off gesture.

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