The Social Investment Fund (SIF) has officially handed over the construction site for a GHC7.5 million technical training centre at Otaakrom Technical Institute, marking a major push to expand practical skills training and reduce youth unemployment in the Ashanti Region.
The project, being executed by Fapim Construction and Engineering Limited, is located in the Atwima Mponua District and funded by the African Development Bank under the Post COVID-19 Skills Development and Productivity Enhancement Project (PSDPEP).
SIF Chief Executive Officer, Mr Abass Nurudeen, said the initiative is designed to shift graduates away from job dependency toward self-employment and entrepreneurship through hands-on technical education.
“The whole idea is to equip students with practical skills so that they do not graduate to add to the unemployment pool, but rather become self-employed and create opportunities for others,” he said.
He explained that the centre will feature modern, climate-resilient infrastructure with inclusive designs to accommodate Persons with Disabilities and promote gender equality in technical education.
The project is expected to be completed within 12 months, after which equipment will be installed to fully operationalise the facility.
Mr Nurudeen stressed that Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) remains critical to addressing Ghana’s growing youth unemployment challenge and building a skilled workforce for national development.
Ashanti Regional Deputy Director of TVET, Mr Daniel Amoh, described the investment as strategic, noting that it would strengthen entrepreneurship and practical training among young people.
District education authorities and school leadership also welcomed the project, urging timely completion and quality delivery to ensure long-term impact.
Otaakrom Technical Institute Principal, Mr Samuel Akrasi, said the centre would significantly improve practical training in areas such as electrical engineering, fashion, catering, and agro-processing, and called for students to be engaged during construction for experiential learning.
Atwima Mponua District Chief Executive, Mr Issahak Ibrahim, commended SIF and stakeholders for bringing the project to the area, urging students to fully utilise the opportunity to improve their future prospects.
Once completed, the facility is expected to serve as a key hub for skills development and help reposition technical education as a viable pathway to employment and economic empowerment in the district.
