News
44 graduate from skills training programme organised by CNC
A total of 44 individuals, comprising 40 females and four males, have successfully graduated from the Marketable Skills Training Programme organised by the Centre for National Culture (CNC) in the Eastern Region.
The initiative was designed to equip the youth with employable skills to make them more competitive in the job market.
The one-month training programme covered a wide range of practical areas including bead making, batik, tie-and-dye, manicure and pedicure, interior and exterior decoration, weaving, basic and advanced sewing, fascinator making, facial makeup, and crocheting.
The annual programme aims to empower participants with hands-on skills to promote self-reliance and improve their economic well-being.
At the maiden graduation ceremony, the Acting Eastern Regional Director of CNC, Ms Salamatu Alhassan, who spearheaded the training, expressed satisfaction with the successful completion of the programme.
She said the initiative did not only fulfill the CNC’s mandate but also reflected the centre’s dedication to national development, youth empowerment, and sustainable job creation.
She also challenged the outdated perception that skills-based training was for the less intelligent, stressing that vocational training offered an alternative path to success and a way out of hopelessness.
She encouraged the graduands to uphold values such as discipline, innovation, integrity, customer service, and financial literacy as they put their newly acquired skills to use.
The Acting Executive Director of the National Commission on Culture, Mr Wakefield Ackuaku, also commended the CNC in the Eastern Region for the impactful initiative.
He noted that cultural industries were becoming increasingly important as major sources of employment, especially for the youth.
He urged the graduands to apply professionalism to their craft in order to earn a sustainable livelihood and contribute meaningfully to their families, communities, and the national economy.
One of the beneficiaries, Alice Ampiah, a dressmaker, shared her experience, noting that before the training, she lacked skills in beading and often had to outsource that part of her work.
From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Koforidua
Mrs Patience Antonio, a Child and Family Development Advocate, has called for a national campaign to reduce the growing reliance on breast milk substitutes among nursing mothers in Ghana.
According to Mrs Antonio, scientific evidence shows that breastfeeding improves a child’s emotional stability, boosts intelligence, strengthens the immune system, and provides long-term health benefits. She made these remarks in an interview with The Spectator in Accra last week, emphasizing the importance of breastfeeding for a child’s overall development.
She explained that breastfeeding is not just a biological act of feeding but a key emotional and developmental bridge between mother and child. She also highlighted the need for the recommended six-month maternity leave period to ease the pressure on mothers to return to work prematurely.
“Breastfeeding creates intimacy and trust. It assures the baby of love and security, which becomes the foundation for their emotional health,” Mrs Antonio noted, warning that abandoning exclusive breastfeeding could have long-term implications on children’s social and emotional wellbeing.
Consequently, she called for a minimum of five months of fully paid maternity leave for Ghanaian mothers to enable effective breastfeeding, bonding, and healthier child development. She also urged workplaces to implement family-friendly policies, including private spaces for breastfeeding, flexible working arrangements for nursing mothers, and stronger support systems for new parents.
Mrs Antonio further encouraged families and society to actively support mothers during breastfeeding, stressing that many women struggle due to lack of assistance at home or the pressure to return to work too soon. She emphasized, “If we want a healthier, emotionally stable generation, then we must make breastfeeding a priority and support mothers to do it without stress.”
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
Spectator
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The Nanvili Community School in the Mion District of the Northern Region is facing severe infrastructural challenges, affecting teaching and learning for pupils in the area.
The school, which serves five surrounding communities with a total of 58 pupils, has deteriorated to the extent that many children have stopped attending classes. Poor classroom conditions and the lack of desks have made teaching and learning difficult. During a visit to the school, the gate-free classrooms were found filled with goat and sheep droppings.
During the rainy season, both teachers and pupils are often cut off from the school due to bad roads and flooding. Teaching activities are frequently suspended for weeks, negatively affecting academic performance.
The Assemblyman for the area, Mr. Dawuni Mutawakil, expressed concern, noting that the situation is worrying since these pupils are expected to compete with their counterparts in urban areas who have access to better facilities. He added that due to limited space, classes have been merged, with pupils from Primary One and Two, Three and Four, and Five and Six sharing the same classrooms.
The Chief of Nanvili, Abu Kassim, also appealed to the government and non-governmental organisations to come to the aid of the community. He emphasized that the current state of the school discourages children from nearby communities from attending.
Both the Chief and Assemblyman have called for urgent intervention to improve infrastructure and provide furniture for the pupils to ensure quality education for children in the Nanvili area.
By Geoffrey Buta, Nanvili, Northern Region
Spectator
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