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Welentsi Foundation helps Nungua youth acquire vocational skills
Dignitaries and the beneficiaries after the programme Photo Victor A. Buxton
Welentsi III Foundation Youth Empowerment programme have been launched in Accra with the aim of equipping the youth of Nungua and its environs with employable skills.
Under the programme, a sewing project was also launched to train the youth interested in sewing within the Nungua Tradtional area the opportunity to learn the trade.
Out of over 50 applicants who expressed their interest in the trade, only 11 youths were selected to undergo a three year paid-for apprenticeship. They were made up of eight females and three males.
Speaking at the ceremony , a business man, Nii Boye Abbey, said training the youth in employable skills was vital in curbing most social vices adding that “ we have trained most of our students to graduate with non-existent white-collar jobs which eventually frustrates them.’
He said the launch of the programme was a refreshing gesture to assist needy students from poor backgrounds to acquire vocational skills in order to earn a living and also assist their families in the near future.
He mentioned that it was trite knowledge that not everyone could pursue higher education and therefore there was the need to create job avenues for the less privileged youth.
Mr Abbey said the foundation was starting the project with 11 youths drawn from communities within Nungua to start a three year apprenticeship programme with six different fashion companies.
He said “we have also provided them with sewing machines and other materials needed to enhance their training,” adding that the foundation will monitor and evaluate the progress of the beneficiaries.
He said the number of trainees would be increased subsequently in order give opportunity to more youths to learn their preferred trade.
He therefore called on nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), philantropists, businessmen and women to help the foundation train the youth of Nungua in vocational and technical skills.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Foundation, Mr Eric Bortey Djenge said it was established in 2017 by the paramount of chief of the Nungua Traditional area, Oboade Notse King Professor Odaifio Welentsi III to address the unemployment and educational needs of the people.
He mentioned that the foundation in time past had embarked on a lot of projects which included donation of electronic boards to the Nungua Senior High School and presentation of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to students and residents during the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 within the traditional area.
Mr Djenge said indigenes interested in other vocations such as tiling, carpentry, hairdressing and beading will be later trained adding technical and vocational training was the way to go now stating that “the focus of the foundation is technical and vocational skills training.”
He said the foundation was being driven by five pillars, namely, education, youth empowerment, entrepreneurship, women and children protection and culture and tradition.
He called on the people of Nungua to support the vision of the paramount chief to bring development to the area.
By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu
The Minister of Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, has pledged to work closely with the Judiciary and the Ministry of Justice to address challenges affecting the delivery of justice in Ghana.
He made this known after receiving the Chief Justice, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, who paid a courtesy call on him earlier today.
The Chief Justice was accompanied by Supreme Court Judge, Justice Gabriel Pwamang, the Acting Director of the Ghana School of Law, Professor Raymond Atuguba, and the Judicial Secretary.
The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, was also present at the meeting.
Dr. Forson said the Chief Justice explained that the visit was to express appreciation for the continuous support the Ministry of Finance has given to the Judiciary.
According to him, the Chief Justice raised concerns about congestion in the courts, describing it as a major challenge that affects the speedy delivery of justice.
He said several solutions are currently being considered to help reduce the pressure on the courts.
“The Chief Justice also highlighted issues regarding the working conditions of staff within the Judiciary,” Dr. Forson stated.
He assured them of his commitment to helping resolve these problems through collaboration with the Judiciary and the Ministry of Justice.
“I am committed to working closely with the Judiciary and the Ministry of Justice to tackle these challenges,” he said.
As part of the measures being considered, Dr. Forson revealed that his ministry is examining the possibility of allowing the Judiciary to use 100 percent of its Internally Generated Funds (IGF) to meet urgent operational needs.
He said this move, if approved, would help improve the efficiency of the courts and enhance justice delivery across the country.
The meeting forms part of efforts to strengthen cooperation between the Executive and the Judiciary in addressing systemic challenges within Ghana’s justice system.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Ghana has begun talks with the family of Guinea’s first President, Sékou Touré, to take possession of the house where Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah lived and worked during his final years in exile.
The Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, announced that the move follows instructions from President John Dramani Mahama.
According to him, the Mahama administration plans to renovate and preserve the residence in Guinea as a mark of respect for Nkrumah and to protect his legacy.
He explained that the site is expected to become part of a broader historical and tourism experience that traces Nkrumah’s life from Ghana to Guinea.
The decision was formally communicated to the Sékou Touré family on Saturday during a visit led by Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang.
The visit took place after the investiture of Guinea’s President Mamady Doumbouya.
Mr Ablakwa noted that the Ghanaian delegation toured Nkrumah’s abandoned home and was warmly received by three generations of the Sékou Touré family, led by the former president’s eldest son.
He added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is currently negotiating the terms and conditions of the arrangement and engaging preservation experts to handle the restoration works.
The minister assured the public that the process will be handled openly, stressing that Ghanaians will be kept informed at every stage in the interest of transparency and accountability.
Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah was Ghana’s first President and a leading figure in Africa’s independence and Pan African movements.
His years in Guinea symbolised the strong political and ideological ties between the two countries.
By: Jacob Aggrey
