Sixty young people from northern Ghana have completed a comprehensive six-month training programme in plaster paneling and agro-processing, designed to equip them with practical, income-generating skills and reduce youth unemployment in the region.
The initiative, implemented by the Ghana Developing Communities Association (GDCA) in partnership with Changing Lives in Innovative Partnerships (CLIP), forms part of the Project to Strengthen Social Cohesion in Strategic Cross-Border Areas (PARCS), funded by the French Development Agency (AFD) and coordinated by French NGO Acting for Life.
The PARCS project, launched in December 2022, aims to promote inclusive socio-economic growth and strengthen social cohesion across Ghana’s northern border districts.
The just-ended training, held in Dalun in the Kumbungu District, combined six weeks of intensive technical instruction, four weeks of apprenticeship with local artisans, one week of entrepreneurship coaching, and additional business development support. Trainees received certificates from the Ghana TVET Service and starter kits to help them begin their businesses.
According to Mr. Abdul-Hafiz Yussif, Programme Officer at GDCA, vocational and technical training plays a critical role in driving local industrialisation, improving livelihoods, and reducing poverty.
“This graduation marks only the beginning. We will conduct monthly follow-ups to monitor their operations and support their professional integration,” he said.
The 60 graduates form the fourth cohort of beneficiaries under the PARCS initiative, bringing the total number trained to 240. Previous beneficiaries received training in organic poultry and vegetable production, tiling, and plumbing.
Madam Humaimatu Abdul-Wahab of the Ghana TVET Service commended GDCA and its partners for complementing government efforts to tackle youth unemployment through practical, job-oriented training.
“You have been given valuable skills, use them wisely and leverage social media to market your work,” she advised the trainees.
Mr. Kofi Amadu Sheini, Chereponi District Chief Executive, praised the initiative’s focus on skills in high demand locally, such as agro-processing and plastering, adding that such interventions stimulate small business growth and support district-level economic development.
He assured the beneficiaries of the Assembly’s commitment to helping them establish sustainable enterprises.
Dalun-Lana Tapha Mahamadu II, Chief of Dalun, urged the graduates to apply their new knowledge diligently to improve their livelihoods and contribute to their communities’ development.
The beneficiaries shared inspiring testimonies of transformation.
Iddrisu Ahmed, from Karaga District, said: “After completing SHS, I was idle with no opportunities. This training in plaster paneling has given me a skill for life.”
Ms. Zenabu Ayaaba, from Bawku West District, who trained in agro-processing, said she can now produce foods such as Tom Brown, Cerelac, soya milk, soya yoghurt, coconut oil, and sesame oil.
“Before this programme, I didn’t know how to do any of these things. Now I have a business skill that can support my family,” she said.
The training initiative is expected to stimulate youth-led entrepreneurship, reduce dependency, and enhance local productivity in the northern regions, creating ripple effects for household incomes, local markets, and regional economic resilience.
