The Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, on Wednesday paid a working visit to the Cape Coast Technical University to inspect ongoing projects.
One of the projects is under the Ghana-China Project on the Rehabilitation and Upgrading of Equipment in Polytechnics and Technical Institutes (Including Technical Universities /Polytechnics) in the country.
The projects at the Cape Coast Technical University which is about 95 per cent complete includes a fully equipped automobile workshop, a civil engineering workshop, a mechanical engineering workshop and a welding workshop.
The installation of all the tools and equipment in these workshops which are industry standard, will ensure that student beneficiaries would graduate from these institutions with industry ready skills.
Speaking during the tour, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, urged the contractor working on the projects to expedite action to ensure that it was completed on schedule for use.
He said the project when completed would help to improve the employability of Ghanaian youth by providing them with the relevant skills and competencies required for self and formal employment for the 21st Century market needs.
Dr Adutwum said, “President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo government sees education in the form of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as the key to transforming Ghana and thus have prioritised education especially Science, Technical, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and TVET to make it the bedrock of Ghana’s industrialization agenda. ”
He pledged the government’s readiness to provide the needed resources to ensure that the youth of the country benefitted from the equipment to improve their fortunes as well as support the development of the nation’s economy through education.
Dr Adutwum urged the universities to identify and align to specific industry partners for the various workshops so that they could both plan and make good use of the equipment.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Joshua Danso Owusu-Sekyere, thanked the government and Ministry of Education for initiating the project and pledged that the university would put the workshops to good use.
Dr. Fred Kyei Asamoah, Acting Director General, Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET), indicated that the Commission would ensure that the beneficiary institutions of the projects would follow the required occupational and industry standard in the delivery of TVET using the facilities.
He pledged to collaborate with all stakeholders to improve the sector which held the key to turning around the nation’s economy within the shortest possible time if well patronized.
BACKGROUND
Parliament in March 2018 approved by resolution, the concessional loan agreement between the government of Ghana and the EXIM Bank of China for an amount of US$119 million to finance this rehabilitation project.
Subsequently, Parliament in July 2018 approved by a resolution the supplementary contract agreement as well as the commercial contract between the government of Ghana and Avic International Holding Corporation of China for the implementation of the project.
This project will see the provision of state-of-the-art tools and equipment to 13 Technical Institutes and all the Technical Universities across the country; as well as the construction of a Technical Examinations Unit Block (TEUB) at the Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED).
The Education Minister was accompanied by the Chief Director of his Ministry, Mr Benjamin Kofi Gyasi, a technical team from his office and a team from the Cape Coast Technical University led by the Vice Chancellor.
