12,000 Artisans from Suame Magazine jobless due to technology

Over 12,000 artisans are the Suame Magazine within the Kumasi Metropolis of the Ashanti Region have abandoned their work in search of jobs in other fields due to technological advancements.

A consultant with the Suame Magazine Industrial Development Organization (SMIDO) Awieba NyarbaAzongo has warned that the Suame Magazine Industrial area may soon collapse if government fails to train local mechanics in the area of Information Communication Technology ( ICT) to be abreast with modern trends in repairing the latest brand of vehicles.

He observed that ICT knowledge in repairing the modern computerized vehicles which uses microchips is very critical if the artisans want to remain useful in their field of work.

According to a recent research, 50% of the vehicle repairers who dropped out from the hub are now into commercial vehicle driving whiles 5% of them are into manufacturing of small arms aiding in robbery activities.

Management of the SMIDOfear crime may be out of control in the country particularly in Kumasi if government fails to pay particular attention to the magazine especially spate at which the mechanics in particular are abandoning the job.

“The proliferation the computerized vehicles is drastically affecting activities at the Magazine. The new vehicles are replacing the old models and are computer based and require computer auto diagnostic tools to examine the problems in order to fix them”, he said.

As part of measures to end the dropout rate Mr. Azongo wants government to restrict importation computerized vehicle in the country saying the automobile giants will be compelled to train the local artisans to manage their vehicles.

“This way they will be forced to build our capacity so that they could continue to enjoy the patronage since Ghanaians repair and don’t manufacture”, he explained.