A former Finance Minister, Dr Kwabena Duffuor, has prescribed Technical and Vocational Training (TVET) as the effective solution to rising youth unemployment in Ghana.
According to Dr Duffuor, vocational and technical education will equip the youth with the needed skills set for the job market, as well as empower them to set up their own businesses.
Delivering a lecture dubbed ‘The Ghanaian Dream; Transforming the economy through job creation and opportunities for all’ on Monday, November 29, 2021, the former Governor of the Bank of Ghana, called on the government to prioritise Vocational and Technical Education if it wants the economy transformed.
“The neglect of technical and vocational training over the years might have contributed to the high unemployment and rising poverty among the youth. Many of them lack basic job skills.
“High youth unemployment and prevalent skills gaps within the labour force, underlines the necessity for vocational and technical education. Ghana must place TVET education in the center of job creation strategy to successfully address the high youth unemployment,” he added.
He also called on the government to channel resources to mechanise agriculture as well as value addition in that sector.
Meanwhile, government has reassured stakeholders that it is committed to promoting and investing in TVET in Ghana.
According to the Education Ministry, the government is aiming at making Ghana a hub of TVET excellence across the continent.
The government committed over $700 million to revamp and transform TVET over the last four years.
It also committed an additional $200 million dollars through the jobs and skills project to ensure there is quality in TVET delivery.