GRATIS Foundation takes charge of rural tech centres from Govt

 The Minister of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, has reaffirmed government’s commitment to promoting the adoption of appropriate technologies to accelerate national transformation and industrial development.

Delivering a speech on her behalf at the handing over of 31 Technology Solution Centres (TSCs) in Elmina, Deputy Minister Samson Ahi said technolog­ical support in equipment repairs, spare parts fabri­cation, and maintenance remains critical for success­ful industrialisation.

The 31 centres, estab­lished under the Rural En­terprises Programme (REP), were officially handed over to the GRATIS Founda­tion, which will operate and supervise their activ­ities. The centres, located in various districts, aim to reduce machinery downtime and revenue losses while enhancing productivity and efficiency.

Mrs Ofosu-Adjare said the handover reflects a continued national devel­opment strategy anchored on technology and a shift toward agribusiness, indus­trialisation, and technical training. She noted that GRATIS Foundation’s role is pivotal in offering responsive technology support to strengthen dis­trict-level manufacturing.

She highlighted govern­ment’s ongoing retooling of GRATIS Foundation’s engineering workshop, including the installation of a state-of-the-art Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine for precision engineering and advanced manufacturing. “GRATIS is gradually becoming Ghana’s national centre of excellence for technical innovation, rural industrial­isation, and skills develop­ment,” she added.

The Chief Executive Officer of GRATIS Foun­dation, Dr Isaac Adaebsah, underscored the impor­tance of the centres in sup­porting Ghana’s industriali­sation efforts at the district level. He said the facilities will benefit thousands of artisans, fabricators, ma­chine operators, and young entrepreneurs by offering affordable fabrication ser­vices, appropriate technol­ogies, and business-enhanc­ing training.

Central Regional Min­ister, Eduamoah Ekow Panyin Okyere, also speak­ing at the event, called for stronger collaboration between academia and in­dustry to drive technolog­ical innovation. He raised concerns about financial barriers limiting farmers’ access to modern tech­nologies and appealed for government intervention to make the centres’ innova­

 FROM DAVID O. YARBOI-TETTEH, ELMINA