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Nana Afrakoma II, empowering needy young women with employable skills
Nana Afrakoma II
Dreams do come true and it is even more fulfilling and gratifying when the reality of the dream impacts lives positively.
That is the case of Nana Afrakoma II, Queen Mother of Akwamu Traditional Area, who has served her people in this capacity since 1964.
She was only 18 when the huge crown of Queen Mother of the revered ‘Akwamu State’ in the Asuogyaman District of the Eastern Region was placed on her head.
It was a huge responsibility which the young Queen Mother took while looking out for opportunities to realise her dream of empowering needy young people in the area through skills development and training.
In pursuance of her dream after 59 years of various strides, Nana Afrakoma II, through the Ohemea Afrakoma II Foundation, established a vocational training centre to provide educational space for the people.
The Nana Afrakoma II Vocational Training Institute, officially opened in 2021, is targeted at providing employable skills to the needy young people, especially women, in the area.
The skills being tutored at the Institute range from hairdressing to fashion and beads making.
The Institute currently has a student population of 30, with the first batch scheduled for graduation on November 25 this year.
In an interview with The Spectator, Nana Afrakoma II said the Institute was also established with the intents to tackle the increasing rate of teenage pregnancy in the area.
The consequence of rising cases of teenage pregnancy in the area, she explained, was a corresponding increase in school dropouts, hence the decision to train the beneficiaries to be able to care for their wards.
“Our interest now is providing young men and women who had dropped out of school due to pregnancy with employable skills and a means to improve their livelihood.
We have, within the past two years, enrolled 30 students in the Institute at no cost. The 12 who have completed the training would be graduating on November 25,” Nana Afrakoma II noted.
She said although the Institute was initially established for the indigenes of Akwamu, it was currently providing skills training to young people from the whole of the Asuogyaman District, including Senchi, Atimpoku and other neighbouring communities.
In addition to the training, she noted, the graduates are supported with start-up capital to enable them commence their business operations.
“We don’t want to train and leave them to their fate. We want to see them flourish and able to care for themselves and their offsprings.
For those in fashion, we will give them sewing machines while those who trained in hairdressing will be supported with hair dryers. Those in beads making will also receive support to be able to start their business,” Nana Afrakoma II said.
Although free for the students, she said, the running of the Institute had come at a huge financial cost to the Paramountcy, which has continuously provided financial support, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), also deploying its resources to help the Institute meet it objectives, the Asuogyaman District Assembly and other voluntary donors.
“We are grateful to the Akwamu Paramountcy for the continuous support as well as the UNFPA which has taken a genuine interest in what we do here.
The Assembly has also donated a four-classroom block to be used as one of our training centres. So yes, despite the financial burden, the support from everyone, including voluntary donors, has made it possible for the school’s survival,” Nana Afrakoma II added.
She said in addition to providing the young people with training on employable skills, sensitisation on the dangers of teenage pregnancy has been heightened to prevent others from going through similar experiences.
The Queen Mother called for increased support to enable the Institute develop its 30-acre land to be able to expand and admit more young people who hold an interest in pursuing any of the skills development programmes.
By Claude Nyarko Adams
The Global Network of Export-Import Banks and Development Finance Institutions (G-NEXID) successfully held its sixth (6th) Exchange Programme, hosted by the Ghana Export – Import Bank (GEXIM) Bank in Accra from March 22 to 23 March.
The event brought together member institutions, partner organisations and Ghanaian public entities to advance dialogue on South-South trade, investment and development finance, while also creating opportunities for knowledge-sharing and institutional cooperation.
Organised as a capacity-building and networking platform, the 2026 edition of the G-NEXID Exchange focused on GEXIM’s experience in developing innovative solutions to promote intra-African and extra-African trade.
It also highlighted trade and investment opportunities in Ghana, particularly in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and broader national development initiatives.
The Exchange Programme forms part of G-NEXID’s mandate to foster cooperation among export-import banks and development finance institutions in support of South-South trade and investment.
This 6th edition follows earlier successful programmes hosted by India Exim Bank (2016), BNDES (2017), Indonesia Eximbank (2018), Afreximbank (2019) and Saudi EXIM Bank (2025).
On the first day, participants were presented with G-NEXID institutional information and received an update on the Network’s 2026 work programme.
There were a series of substantive presentations, including an overview of the Ghanaian economy by the Ministry of Finance, with particular attention to debt-related challenges; a presentation by the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), on investment opportunities in the country; and institutional presentations by GEXIM and Development Bank Ghana (DBG) on their respective mandates, initiatives, products and services.
Discussions during the sessions underscored strong interest in sector-focused webinars and business dialogues, particularly in agribusiness value chains such as poultry and rice.
Participants also emphasized the importance of continued information exchange and the sharing of best practices, especially in the area of guarantees.
The second day opened with a presentation on the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme, a national economic transformation strategy launched by President John Dramani Mahama in July 2025.
The initiative aims to enhance economic productivity through continuous industrial activity, accelerated export development and strategic import substitution.
As the programme is expected to mobilise both private and development capital, it presents concrete opportunities for G-NEXID members in areas such as co-financing, guarantees, trade finance and technical cooperation.
The programme also featured institutional presentations by guest organisations, namely the African Guarantee and Economic Cooperation Fund (FAGACE) and the West African Development Bank (BOAD), which shared their mandates, initiatives, products and services.
Following these exchanges, the G-NEXID Secretariat held bilateral discussions with both institutions as part of the Network’s ongoing membership drive.
Participants further benefited from a presentation by the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank (TDB), as well as a showcase of GEXIM’s key pipeline projects.
On the margins of the Exchange Programme, G-NEXID members also held their 20th Annual General Assembly Meeting to review progress and discuss strategic priorities.
Following the event, participants joined the GEXIM@10 International Conference, held from March 24-25, 2026 under the theme, “A Decade of Enabling Export Trade and Industrial Transformation: Resetting GEXIM for the Next Frontier.”
The conference provided an important platform for exploring how Ghana can strengthen its transition from a primary commodity exporter to a more competitive player in value-added trade and industrial development.
Source – G-NEXID
President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, signed five bills including three amendment bills passed by Parliament into law.
They are: Security and Intelligence Agencies Bill, 2025; University of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences Bill, 2025; Ghana Deposit Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2025; Growth and Sustainability Levy (Amendment) Bill, 2026; and Education Regulatory Bodies (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
In a brief remark after assenting to the bills, President Mahama explained that the Security and Intelligence Agencies Act, 2026, scraps the Office of Minister of National Security and frees the President’s to appoint any Minister to supervise the security agencies.
He said it also reverses the name of the office of National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), to the original name, Bureau of National Intelligence, (BNI).
This the President said, addresses the confusion between that security agency and a well-known Ghanaian financial institution, the National Investment Bank.
President Mahama also noted that the University of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences Act, 2026, establishes another University in the Eastern Region, at Bonsu, with three campuses – the main campus at Bonsu in the Eastern Region, with the second campus to be cited at Ohawu in the Oti Region.
The third, the Presdient assed will be located at Acherensua in the Ahafo Region.
Touching on the Amendment to the Growth and Sustainability Levy Act, the President said, “As you’re aware, the act was amended to increase it from 1% to 3%, and so this act reduces it again. That is the levy on mining companies. It reduces it again to 1%, because of the introduction of the sliding scale of royalties.”
He also spoke to the passage of the Government Education Regulatory Bodies Amendment Act, emphasising that amends Act 1023 to grant greater flexibility to private tertiary institutions and the option to Charter.
The Ghana Deposit Protection Amendment Act, the President concluded, is an amendment to an original act that was supposed to guarantee deposits held in commercial banks or financial institutions.
It basically expands protection to include mobile money wallets and other digital platforms, ensuring a wider scope of digital financial assets are secured.
The signing ceremony, was witnessed by the Clerk of Parliament, Mr. Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, Secretary to the President, Dr Callistus Mahama, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Dr Dominic Akrutinga Ayine, Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, Joyce Bawa Mogtari, a Senior Presidential Advisor and a Special Aide to the President, Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, and the Vice President, Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang.
