Culinary Industry calls for government support

Ms Efua Otuwaa Goode, the Director of EKGS Culinary Institute, a hospitality service, has called on government to design incentive packages for private entrepreneurial training institutions, to enable them expand their operations and create more job opportunities.

Ms Goode appealed to government to extend credits facility to practitioners in the sector at flexible rates and waive taxes on tools to encourage fresh graduates to set up on their own businesses and train more youth.

The Director made the call on Sunday at the 39th graduation ceremony of EKGS Culinary Institute in Accra, on the theme: “Ghana beyond Aid: The Role of Culinary Industry.”

The ceremony witnessed 100 trainees, who graduated after six months of intensive training in Cake Making and Sugar Arts, Pastry Making, Cookery, and Balloon, Ribbon and Floral Arts.

Also included in the students who graduated were two Togolese, three Nigerians, and a Burkinabe, giving an international touch to the event.

She said the government support to the industry would complement its initiative of developing the country beyond aid, since the sector would expand production, create job opportunities and contribute to national development.

Ms Goode said an unemployed person had very limited means of providing for himself and his or her dependents and that led to the vicious circle of poverty through generations.

In her view, she said a society in which poverty permeated could not take care of the under privileged and the vulnerable as the means to provide safety nets for such people were nonexistent.

It was therefore imperative for Authorities to fight the scourges of poverty and unemployment, she said.

She stated that the culinary sector had the capacity to train people and equip them with the requisite skills to become useful citizens who would be able to afford the basic necessities of Ife, provide for their dependents and pay taxes to government.

The Director agreed with government’s call for ‘Ghana beyond Aid’ initiative, saying it was always a dangerous proposition to hinge one’s welfare and development on others, especially in a global world where economics and financial systems crumble like ‘pack of cards'.

She advised the graduates to go out, never look back and never look for short success, as the end result was always unfavourable, which could ruin their future aspirations.

“I urge you to put your shoulders to the wheel, persevere in your endeavours, be sincere in your dealings and do not take anything or anybody for granted,” she added.

Mrs Bella Ahu, the Chief Executive Officer of Trafix Catering Services, urged the graduates to be creative and couch a niche for themselves and stay in the world of competitive markets.

She stated that, ‘Ghana Beyond Aid' policy started with the Culinary sector, urging government to focus attention on the sector because it played a critical role in the development of the country.

Mrs Ahu said there were more opportunities to tap in the sector, and charged the graduates to explore more business opportunities in the industry and put the name of the Institute on a higher pedestal.

There were exhibitions of creative designs of Cake and Sugar Arts, Pastry, Ribbon and Floral Arts by the students.