SOS Children’s Villages Ghana has distributed technical and vocational training tools and start-up kits to about 2,000 young people across communities in the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly to help them establish businesses and improve their livelihoods.
The beneficiaries, drawn from Bamvim, Adubiliyili, Fooshegu, Gbulahibila and Chansegu, received equipment to support trades such as aluminium fabrication, tiling, carpentry, weaving, barbering, welding, beauty services and fashion design.
The initiative forms part of the organisation’s Tamale Communities Project, which seeks to equip young people with employable skills and provide them with the resources needed to start small enterprises and reduce unemployment.
Items distributed included industrial and manual sewing machines, scissors, stoning machines, hairdressing sinks, standing dryers, make-up kits, hand dryers, rollers, combs and towels.
Other tools provided were welding machines, drilling machines, angle grinders, vices, extension wires, barbering clippers, sterilizers, swivel chairs, aprons, mirrors, weaving machines and threads.
Additional equipment included hack saws, router machines, electric cutting machines, jigsaw machines, hammers, tiling machines, mallets, nailing machines and riveting guns.
The presentation ceremony was held at the forecourt of the Paramount Chief of Bamvim, Naa Ziblim Abdulai, and was attended by traditional and religious leaders, youth groups and community members.
Mr Alexander Mar Kekula, National Director of SOS Children’s Villages Ghana, said the intervention was designed to enable young people to transform their vocational training into income-generating activities.
“We are here to distribute tools and start-up kits to young people to enable them to utilise their skills to create jobs and employment opportunities,” he said.
Mr Kekula explained that the support targeted both trainees currently undergoing vocational training and those who had completed their training but lacked the tools to begin work.
According to him, the project aims to ensure that young people are productively engaged and able to build sustainable livelihoods.
“The overall goal of this initiative is to ensure that our youth are not idle but engaged in meaningful economic ventures that translate into income generation and sustainable national development,” he added.
He noted that the programme also aligned with global development priorities, particularly the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Eight, which promotes decent work and economic growth while reducing poverty.
Mr Kekula encouraged the beneficiaries to use the equipment responsibly to expand their businesses and contribute to the development of their communities.
Alhaji Adam Abubakari Takoro, Tamale Metropolitan Chief Executive, whose remarks were delivered on his behalf, commended SOS Children’s Villages Ghana for supporting youth empowerment in the metropolis.
He said the initiative would complement government efforts to tackle youth unemployment and improve livelihoods in the area.
He also reaffirmed the Assembly’s commitment to working with development partners and civil society organisations to promote inclusive and sustainable development.
Madam Karim Asimawu, a beautician from the Chansegu community and one of the beneficiaries, expressed appreciation for the support.
She said although she had acquired the necessary vocational skills, she had been unable to establish her own beauty shop due to lack of equipment.
Madam Asimawu noted that the tools provided would enable her to start her business and earn income to support herself and her family.
