By Gloria Anderson
In a landmark move to advance Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Ghana, the Vanuatu Trade Commission, in collaboration with the African Diaspora Central Bank (ADCB), has unveiled a substantial funding package totaling USD 280 million.
This initiative aims to enhance the infrastructure and capabilities of Ghana’s technical universities and vocational institutions.
The funding will be distributed as follows: USD 10 million per technical university and USD 180 million allocated to all 47 TVET institutions across the country. The allocation is equivalent to the AKL Lumi gold coin, amounting to AKL 17,543,859.6491.
The formal unveiling of this initiative will occur at a later date, with detailed working documents to be distributed to beneficiaries through the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology.
This initiative underscores a commitment to advancing TVET in Ghana, with specific conditions to ensure its effective implementation.
Ambassador Hugu Aryee of the Vanuatu Trade Commission remarked, “Today, I am thrilled to announce a significant initiative that underscores our commitment to advancing TVET in Ghana.
This funding will greatly enhance the infrastructure and capabilities of our technical universities.” He made the announcements when leadership of the Ghana National Union of Technical Students paid a visit to formally invite him as Guest Speaker at its National conference.
The Coordinating Secretary of the Ghana National Union of Technical Students (GNUTS), Christian Akwasi Agyei, expressed optimism about the collaboration. “We are trying to partner with the Vanuatu Trade Commission to focus on AI training. We are in a digital world, and although we lack the knowledge, we must learn. We should focus on the technical sector, especially TVET. We have people at the universities, but we don’t have the resources.”
A consultant for the AI Africa and Lumi projects, Dr. David King Boison, highlighted the challenges faced by technical universities. “We have to look at the benefits of TVET and the challenges these institutions face. Some technical universities have computers, but the students don’t know how to operate the software. It’s not their fault; they lack the resources to skill up.”
The Ghana National Union of Technical Students (GNUTS), representing over 200,000 students from all ten public technical universities and various technical and vocational institutions in Ghana and abroad, has been a staunch advocate for the rights of TVET students.
Their dedication to positively influencing policy and fostering a spirit of unity is truly commendable.
This funding initiative promises to be a game-changer for Ghana’s TVET landscape, providing much-needed resources to empower students with the skills necessary for the future.
