An estimated 500,000 Ghanaian youth are to be trained in various crafts in the next five years, President John Dramani Mahama has declared.Under the National Apprenticeship Programme (NAP) the first cohort of trainees would be made up of 10,000 beneficiaries across all metropolitan, municipal and districts nationwide and scaled up to 100,000 beneficiaries annually.The areas for training would include agriculture and agro processing including fish, poultry and bee farming, food preservation, masonry, carpentry, plumbing, electricals, pottery making, bead making, weaving, leather works, dress making, hairdressing, cosmetics, welding, furniture, auto mechanic, and basic robotics, amongst others.This was made known by President Mahama when he launched the NAP in Tamale on Wednesday on the theme "Skills for Prosperity; Empowering Ghana's Future."The NAP is a strategic initiative designed to equip young Ghanaians with practical, hands-on skills through structured, industry-based training, with a focus on promoting employability, entrepreneurship, and self-reliance."This initiative is a testament to our unwavering commitment to investing in the most critical asset of our nation - our youth and reaffirms the promise in the NDC's 2024 manifesto to equip young people with relevant, marketable skills that meet the demands of the 21st century job market," President Mahama stated.Ghana, despite being blessed with a vibrant youthful population, the President noted that "too many of our young people find themselves battling under employment and unemployment," a situation he said needed to be nipped in the bud.President Mahama announced that each apprentice would receive a stipend to aid their transportation to and from work, a startup tool kit to set up upon completion and a certificate.The NAP, the President said, had been designed to be inclusive such that at least 45 per cent of apprentice trainees must be female and at least five per cent persons living with disabilities."Special attention will be given to marginalised and vulnerable groups across the country.
We are building an apprenticeship system that will leave no one behind," the President said.The programme would adopt a dual apprenticeship mode where 30 per cent of the testing would be classroom-based and 70 per cent practical-based ranging from two to four months and 12 to 18 months depending on trade and skill.Set to take off yesterday, May 1, 2025, President Mahama said applicants and master craftsmen who wish to enroll on the programme could pick up application forms at the various assemblies free-of-charge or register on the National Youth Authority's portal via the address www.nya.gov.gh.He estimated that at the end of the five years, there would be a 60 per cent self- employment rate among graduates, an average 40 per cent increase in incomes for beneficiaries and creation of 25,000 new businesses to contribute to national industrialisation.Chief Executive of the National Youth Authority, the implementing agency, Osman Ayariga, said Ghana's quest to industrialise could only materialise if the human resource was armed with the needed skills.He assured, on behalf of the youth of Ghana that, his outfit would not let the President and his government down, considering the confidence reposed in them with the appointment of youthful people into key institutions of state. FROM JULIUSYAO PETETSI, TAMALE
