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61 graduate from Marketable Skills Training Programme
SIXTY-ONE persons, comprising 40 females and 21 males, have graduated from the second edition of the Marketable Skills Training Programme organised in Koforidua by the Centre for National Culture (CNC) in the Eastern Region.
The graduates, who underwent practical training in various fields, acquired skills in fascinator making, bead making and designing, basic sewing, advanced sewing and traditional dance (Kete), among others.
The programme, according to the Regional Director of the CNC, Dr Dorcas Salamatu Alhassan, was designed to equip participants with practical and relevant skills to improve their livelihoods, promote self-reliance and create opportunities for entrepreneurship.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony in Koforidua, Dr Alhassan said the initiative formed part of the Centre’s efforts to use culture, arts and crafts as tools for economic empowerment and national development.
She said the Centre recognised the important role practical skills and cultural entrepreneurship played in helping individuals, particularly young people and community members, transform their talents and creativity into sustainable livelihoods.
She said the Centre had previously trained 26 female beauticians in bead designing and 10 persons with disabilities, comprising seven females and three males, in bead designing in New Juaben South.
“In New Juaben North, 11 female fashion designers were trained in fascinator making, while 104 learners in Kwahu East were trained to produce wall-hanging artefacts from discarded plastic materials,” she revealed.
She said other interventions included training in batik tie-and-dye, artistic artefacts from plastic materials and pastry making in various districts.
Dr Alhassan said the maiden edition of the Marketable Skills Training Programme, held last year, had 43 participants, comprising 33 females and 10 males, who were trained in areas including fascinator making, facial make-up, decoration, sewing, crocheting and batik tie-and-dye.
She said the increase to 61 beneficiaries this year demonstrated the Centre’s continued commitment to creating practical opportunities that could translate talent and creativity into sustainable livelihoods.
For his part, the Executive Director of the National Commission on Culture (NCC), Mr Wisdom Wakefield Ackuaku, said the skills acquired would help the graduates build a better future and urged them to put their knowledge and skills to use for their economic benefit.
He said the era when parents considered vocational training to be for children who were not academically inclined had passed, urging parents to invest in their children’s future by enrolling them in vocational and skills training programmes.
From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Koforidua
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The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has opened applications for members interested in contesting as its parliamentary candidates in the 2028 general elections.
In a statement issued on Thursday, October 29, 2026, the party said interested members must declare their intention to contest between Sunday, November 1, and Tuesday, November 10, 2026.
According to the statement signed by the party’s Communications Director, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, prospective candidates must complete an online form within the specified period.
The party said a non-refundable application fee of GH¢5,000 would be charged to each prospective candidate.
It added that all applicants would undergo vetting and screening to determine their eligibility to contest on the party’s ticket.
The NPP announced plans to organise capacity-building workshops for prospective candidates in December 2026. The workshops will be held across the Northern, Middle and Southern zones, with details of the venues to be announced later.
The party stressed that the guidelines would apply to all prospective candidates, including sitting NPP Members of Parliament who wish to contest again.
It further warned aspirants against starting campaign activities following the opening of the application process.
According to the statement, the existing directive prohibiting campaign activities remains in force until the party gives official clearance.
It cautioned that anyone who violates the directive would face appropriate sanctions under the party’s constitution and regulations.
The NPP said the process was designed to promote fairness, transparency and equal opportunities for all aspirants as it prepares to select candidates for all 276 constituencies ahead of the 2028 elections.
It urged prospective candidates to follow the guidelines and conduct themselves with discipline and respect for one another throughout the process.
The party said its broader objective was to strengthen unity within its ranks and rebuild public confidence ahead of the 2028 general elections.
By: Jacob Aggrey
News
eputy Foreign Minister accompanies Veep to Shanghai to champion Global South reform, industrial drive
Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, James Gyakye Quayson, accompanied Vice-President Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang on a successful working visit to Shanghai, China, from 15th to 19th October 2026, at the invitation of the East China Normal University (ECNU).
The highlight of the visit was the 2026 Global South Academic Forum held on 17th October, which brought together over 200 scholars, policymakers, political party leaders and media professionals from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, under the theme “Global South Political Parties: Governance and Modernisation.”
In her keynote address, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang asserted that political independence is only truly the beginning, stating that “winning political power and governing effectively are related but not the same responsibility.” She called for stronger South-South cooperation, multilateralism and reform of the global financial architecture to end debt traps, ensure fair risk assessments and promote climate policies that respect different national circumstances.
On 18th October, she addressed a business forum with Chinese investors, linking Ghana’s 24-Hour Economy policy to industrialization. Warning that training youth without factories creates unemployment, she appealed for factories to be established in Ghana to serve the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) market, with priority on value addition in cocoa processing, shea butter, cashew, coconut and timber.
On October 19, Ghana’s Ambassador to China, Kojo Bonsu, hosted a dinner at the Shangri-La for the Vice-President, attended by members of the Ghanaian community and business leaders, who praised the thorough preparation by the Ghana Embassy staff for the visit.
Throughout the trip, Mr. Quayson coordinated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to align the engagements with Ghana’s jobs and transformation agenda.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
