18 illegal miners graduate with vocational and technical skills

Anaji (WR), July 18, GNA - Eighteen  students drawn from five district within the Western and Western North  Regions, previously engaged in illegal mining have graduated from the Community Development Vocational and Technical Institute after a one-year intensive hands-on training in fashion and electrical engineering.

The project dubbed "Alternative Livelihood programme" was instituted by the Inter-Ministerial Committee against Illegal Mining and is under the auspices of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural development to provide better alternative for the youth who hitherto were engaged in the hazardous and risky business of illegal mining.

Though the school received 40 students from Mpohor, Amenfi East and Central, Bibiani and Upper Denkyira and Wassa East 18 had graduated with the rest still under tutelage.

Three of the graduands from the illegal mining group: Ophelia Opoku, Mabel Darko and Anita Cudjoe have gained admission into the Takoradi Technical University to continue their education.

In all 30 students graduated from the school.

All the 18 students under the programme were given equipment in their various trade as startups.

The Acting Director of Community Development, Mrs. Faustina Essandoh in a speech read on her behalf said the Takoradi learning centre was among the 25 institutions selected by the Department to give such skills and competency to the illegal miners to give them better livelihood.

She said this was part of government’s effort to end illegal and indiscriminate mining activities with its associated destruction of the environment.

"Our main aim is to provide and promote technical and voctional skill and entrepreneurship to the youths for sustainable development", she said.

She said the  government efforts to replace illegal mining with functional and viable alternative livelihood programmes to avert the negative effects on the environment was yielding good results as hundreds of them had acquired skills in cookery, fashion, tailoring and electrical engineering among others to make them gainfully employed.

Mrs. Essandoh called on youth who are still wandering about in communities to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the Department in order to turn their fortunes around.

She said with these skills, there would be nothing like unemployed associations in the country. It is therefore important that we change our negative perception towards technical education.

Mr. Ignatius Esaah-Mensah, the District Chief Executive for Mpohor, a participating district in the programme said the district was creating a database for all trainees to ensure that they were assisted and monitored to develop and grow their trade.

Dr. Mrs. Eudora Hagan, Head of the Applied Science Department of the Takoradi Technical University encouraged women to shift focus from fashion, textiles and cookery to male dominated enterprises such as plumbing, electrical and mechanical engineering among others.

Mr. Kojo Acquah, the Municipal chief executive for Effia Kwesimintim Municipal Assembly (EkMA), promised the school of the requisite infrastructure to positively contribute to the training of the human resource of the country.

Mr. Acquah was grateful to the president for such a laudable intervention to make live more meaningful for the people.

Mrs. Joyce Obiri Yeboah, the Regional Director of Community Development praised the government for assisting to empower the youth with vocational and technical skills and saving them from the dangers of illegal mining.

She urged them to apply the knowledge they have acquired to better their lot adding that, "there is more ahead of you".

Mrs. Patricia Nkrumah, the Principal of the Community Development Institute urged them to make a positive impact as they reunite with their Communities.

She on the other hand called on the Regional Coordinating Council, the EKMA and the GNPC to provide a boys dormitory and a fence wall for the school to curtail encroachment.

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