I was honored to take part in the VET Tool box project launch by the British Council and the European Union at the modern city hotel in Tamale, Ghana. The event held on the 16th of March, 2023 at the Modern City Hotel in Tamale was a significant step towards improving Vocational Education and Training (VET) in Ghana.
The purpose of the event was to introduce the €1.15m VET Tool box project, implemented by a consortium of leading European agencies including Enabel, GI, LuvDev, Expertise France and the British Council, which aims to improve demand driven and inclusive Vocational Education and Training (VET) in 11 countries across sub saharan Africa.
In Ghana, the project is being delivered by the British Council with emphasis on skills development in the agriculture sector through the establishment and monitoring of a framework for developing skilled human resources within the scope of the Savannah zone Agricultural Productivity Improvement Project (SAPIP)
The event was an opportunity for stakeholders to discuss the importance of skills development in the agricultural sector in Ghana and to explore the potential of the VET Tool box in enhancing the delivery of demand driven skills development and VET programs.
The program was chaired by the newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of the National Development Authority (NDA) Dr. Abdullai Suleman. Various prominent stakeholders in the fields of agriculture and Vocational Education And Training attended the program, including representatives from The EU, British Council, the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training in Ghana (CTVET), the regional Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFa), and the Vice Chancellor of the Tamale Technical University (TaTU).
The event began with a short welcome address by the Director of the British Council in Ghana, Nii Dodoo andamd Marta Brignone, Programs officer, Macroeconomic and Trade Section of the European Union in Ghana. Marta highlighted on the significance of investing in human capital, particularly in reducing human problems such as indecent lives and livelihoods, and the need to learn decent technical skills that can earn a decent salary.
The Director General for CTVET, Dr. Fred Kyei also addressed the audience followed by introductory remarks from Hawa Musah, the regional director of MoFa. Prof. Abass Braimah, the VC of TaTU and a representative from SAPIP also spoke on the urgent need to make agriculture re-attractive to the youth again through innovative strategies.
The technical working group of theVET Tool box was introduced by Micheal Boatengn, the consultant for the VET Tool box project. The technical team made a detailed power point presentation on the framework of the two years VET Tool box project. This was followed by a heated questions and answers segment. Many of the event attendees challenged the feasibility of the project, stating that the goals, and expectations of the project presented by the project team are rather too ambitious following the timing and resources available for the project. Mr. Abraham Sarfo who is the team leader of the leader the VET Tool box made further clarifications concerning the various questions. The project was officially launched afterwards.
After the lunch break, there was yet another heated round table discussion between various stakeholders including representatives from commercial farmers invited, representatives from CTVET, the VET Tool box team, and a gender representative on the topic “mainstreaming gender in TVET”. This discussion was clouded with controversial and contradicting opinions from the panelists.
The event was climaxed by a visit to Tatu, where we were shown a practical and WEL model of the university, including a demonstration by the first female in Ghana to operate a tractor, showcasing her remarkable plowing abilities. The event ended with a decision at the office of the vice chancellor of TaTU, where he spoke about the importance of effective collaboration between the academia and employers in maximizing progressive human capital development.
In conclusion, the VET Tool box launch event was successful. It provided valuable insights into the Eropean Union’s commitment to investing in human capital development in Ghana through Vocational Education and Training. The event brought together key stakeholders in the agriculture and vocational education sectors to discuss the challenges and opportunities for improving the quality of vocational education and training in Ghana.
It was a great honor to represent AVE MARIA FARMS (a sub division division of the company I work for), in accepting the invitation to be part of this great project launch. Thank you for reading. I hope it was worth your time.
hiveblocks