Hot!
Government trains 19,000 apprentices and master craft persons in seven years
The Government of Ghana through the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET) has trained over 19,000 master craft persons and apprentices since 2018 under the Ghana TVET Voucher Project (GTVP).
According to Mr. Albert Opare, Head of Corporate Affairs for CTVET, the Ghana TVET Voucher project (GTVP) is a project under the Ghanaian-German Financial Development Cooperation, co-financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through KfW Development Bank and the Government of Ghana.
The Commission for Technical Vocational Education and Training (CTVET) is the implementing agency.
Out the 19,000 plus people, 13,883 representing 73% are females, whilst 5,179 are males. GTVP and provides demand-driven training vouchers to CTVET-registered master craft persons, their apprentices and workers.
The vouchers are used to fund competency-based training (CBT) courses in CTVET–accredited training institutions for certification in National Proficiency Levels I and II and Certificate I and II respectively.
Mr. Opare indicated that, the beneficiaries received the training in skills areas such as, automotive repairs, cosmetology, garment, welding, consumer electronics, plumbing, electrical installation, block laying and furniture making.
Mr. Opare was interacting with the media as part of an official visit to the Dabokpa Technical Institute, once of the beneficiary institutions of the project.He indicated that, government plans to expand the project even further and has secured additional funding of $60 million dollars from the World Bank and $40 million Euros from the German Government through KFW Bank to train at least 50,000 more beneficiaries over the next five years.
In concluding, he indicated that, in addition to the training provided, the GTVP project has had a very positive impact on the TVET system in Ghana.
Key among them being that, numerous training institutions have been encouraged through the project to register with CTVET and are keen to achieve official accreditation for CBT implementation. Also, it has resulted in trade associations and informal sector training providers being encouraged to register withCTVET.
Furthermore, through the project, Ghana has witnessed the Competency Based Training (CBT) approach being implemented on a large scale for a large number of Ghanaian youths.
Moreover, we have witnessed the modernization of traditional apprenticeship system in Ghana through the implementation of the project. Finally, the project has strengthened CTVET as the regulatory body for TVET in Ghana.
BY LAWRENCE MARKWEI, DABOKPA
Hot!
Focus on more pressing issues like Galamsey, not hate speech – Ellen Ama Daaku to Mahama
An aide to former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia,Ellen Ama Daaku has advised President John Dramani Mahama to shift his attention from social media hate speech to more urgent national issues such as illegal mining.
Speaking in an interview, she noted that the President’s recent comments about tracking the IP addresses of people who spread hate speech were unnecessary.
According to her, President Mahama must first define what he considers to be hate speech before seeking to punish people for it.
Ms. Daaku argued that the President himself had benefitted from hate speech and social media attacks in the past when he was in opposition.
She said even during his time in government, he described his opponents and their tribesmen in unpalatable terms, which later drew complaints from former President Nana Akufo-Addo to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
She stressed that harsh criticism of leaders on social media should not automatically be considered hate speech, adding that former leaders, including former President Nana Akufo-Addo had all been subjected to it.
“He is only feeling what Nana Akufo-Addo went through for eight years,” she remarked.
While acknowledging the need to regulate misconduct online, Ms. Daaku insisted that going after social media activists should not be a priority.
She noted that many political activists, including herself, had been insulted and attacked online but never called for arrests.
She concluded that President Mahama should focus his energy on solving pressing problems such as galamsey and the economy instead of concentrating on critics on social media.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Hot!
Prof Alidu Seidu files nomination for Tamale Central seat
The newly elected parliamentary candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for Tamale Central, Prof Alidu Seidu, has submitted his nomination forms to the Electoral Commission.
As of 10:00 a.m. today, he was the only person who had filed to contest the seat.
Nomination of candidates will close at the end of the day.
Associate Professor and Head of the Political Science Department at the University of Ghana Legon, Prof. Alidu Seidu won the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primaries in the Tamale Central constituency with a landslide victory.
The elections, supervised by the party’s Elections and IT Directorate in the Northern Region, saw Prof. Seidu poll 840 votes out of the total valid ballots cast.
His closest contender, Lawyer Hanan Gundadow Abdul-Rahaman, secured 536 votes.
The other aspirants could not make significant gains, with Dr. Seidu Fiter obtaining 44 votes, Aliu Abdul-Hamid 23 votes, and the rest recording fewer than 10 votes each.
In all, 1,500 ballots were cast, with 6 ballots rejected and 7 spoilt ballots recorded.
The results were signed and declared by Dr. Arnold Mashud Abukari, NDC Northern Regional Director of Elections and IT.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) held parliamentary primaries in Tamale Central to choose a candidate for the upcoming by-election following the death of the sitting Member of Parliament, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed. Dr. Mohammed, who also served as Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, tragically died in a military helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District on August 6, 2025, alongside seven others.
His passing left the Tamale Central seat vacant, as required by Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
The Electoral Commission has scheduled the by-election for September 30, 2025. While the NDC moved quickly to open nominations and vet aspirants, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) announced it would not contest the seat, citing the need to respect the somber circumstances and promote national unity.
By: Jacob Aggrey
