Fighting unemployment: Yendi MP initiates skills development center project

Yendi, the traditional capital of Dagbon Kingdom, will soon boast of a Skills Development Center (SDC) that will be adequately resourced and positioned as capable of building capacities of Ghanaian youth. The center, will most especially benefit Ghanaian youth who find themselves in the bracket of unemployment and are struggling to survive economically. The Member of Parliament (MP) for Yendi Constituency in Northern Region, Alhaji Farouk Aliu Mahama, who has initiated the construction of this Skills Development Center, performed sod cutting on Saturday 15th October 2022 for the commencement of work. He was accompanied by Morocco Ambassador to Ghana Imane Ouaadil who assured the lawmaker of tremendous support to actualize the dream project. Speaking about the project shortly before the sod-cutting exercise, the MP said the center, when completed will provide an avenue for vocational education and its associated skills training programs. He said the sod-cutting ceremony was done primarily to mark the beginning of the project that will introduce realistic job creation modules in Yendi. The MP for Yendi said the Skills Development Center was key to Yendi's economic development. "With relevant employable skills, individuals can set up their own companies and organisations, making more job opportunities available for the unemployed," he said. Prepared jobs are among several benefits, that a community like Yendi and its environs, can derive from vocational and technical education. To this end, the provision of relevant employment skills, he said, will therefore go along way to touch many lives and reduce growing phenomenon of unemployment in the Constituency. "The skills of our growing workforce, will make the economy of Yendi vibrant and competitive. This will also depend largely on the quality of the training programs we will introduce as part of activities to change the narrative. "For me, vocational education and its associated skills are key to Yendi ’s economic development, and that is why we are initiating this project" he noted. "With relevant employable skills, individuals can set up their own companies and organisations, making more job opportunities available for the unemployed" he underscored. According to the MP, once his constituents are exposed to relevant jobs, the Yendi Municipal Assembly will also benefit from tax policy initiatives. Currently, less than three million Ghanaians out of over 35 million people pay taxes to the Ghana Revenue Authority. This is largely because there are a lot of unemployed Ghanaians idling day in and day out. If attention is given to technical and vocational training, Ghana could realise personal employment initiatives which will put citizens in a better position to support government with voluntary payments of taxes and voluntary donations to support development projects. A cogent step, phenomenally driving the skills development program of the Lawmaker in charge of Yendi. When the center is completed, the people of Yendi, he confirmed, will no longer depend on many foreign products that could easily be manufactured and delivered in the ancient town. He assured his constituents that he will work hard to secure external sources of support for the center, attract high investments into the constituency, all to improve the number of companies operating in Yendi. All these strategic ideas, he observed will depend largely on quality and skillful human labour to drive production and investment necessary for Yendi to thrive. With highly skilled human resources available, he said Yendi will continue to attract more opportunities. "All these will tend to alleviate the pressure on the local economy in Yendi, and our quest to invite foreign companies to invest in the constituency’s economy, will materialize as they will utilise the human resources available to create jobs and in return, achieve their goals. More jobs in Yendi will also reduce crime rate, decrease hunger and anger and the environment will become friendlier for people to patronise. Again, the environment, he said he wants to create will enhance the problem-solving ability of indigenes "Individuals are better placed to solve emerging challenges when they are technically enhanced. "Indigenes ability to solve problems, face any difficulty with the hope of overcoming them and winning depends on the confidence they have in themselves as they undergo training to excel mentally in their various areas of interest" he added. Alhaji Farouk Aliu Mahama also wants to use the skills development center to cure the age-old perception of Ghanaians not interested in technical and vocational education. Many believe Ghanaians fancy white-collar jobs, office work, supervision, and advisory roles without having physical involvement, but the narrative in Yendi will soon change the story. The dynamic MP said he will want to see more innovations, and creativity through the various subjects of training that be applied within the program schedule to make the skills development center vibrant and relevant. These programs, he emphasized, must contribute to change the age-old mindsets of people looking down on vocational skills.

Yendi, the traditional capital of Dagbon Kingdom, will soon boast of a Skills Development Center (SDC) that will be adequately resourced and positioned as capable of building capacities of Ghanaian youth. The center, will most especially benefit Ghanaian youth who find themselves in the bracket of unemployment and are struggling to survive economically. The Member of Parliament (MP) for Yendi Constituency in Northern Region, Alhaji Farouk Aliu Mahama, who has initiated the construction of this Skills Development Center, performed sod cutting on Saturday 15th October 2022 for the commencement of work. He was accompanied by Morocco Ambassador to Ghana Imane Ouaadil who assured the lawmaker of tremendous support to actualize the dream project. Speaking about the project shortly before the sod-cutting exercise, the MP said the center, when completed will provide an avenue for vocational education and its associated skills training programs. He said the sod-cutting ceremony was done primarily to mark the beginning of the project that will introduce realistic job creation modules in Yendi. The MP for Yendi said the Skills Development Center was key to Yendi's economic development. "With relevant employable skills, individuals can set up their own companies and organisations, making more job opportunities available for the unemployed," he said. Prepared jobs are among several benefits, that a community like Yendi and its environs, can derive from vocational and technical education. To this end, the provision of relevant employment skills, he said, will therefore go along way to touch many lives and reduce growing phenomenon of unemployment in the Constituency. "The skills of our growing workforce, will make the economy of Yendi vibrant and competitive. This will also depend largely on the quality of the training programs we will introduce as part of activities to change the narrative. "For me, vocational education and its associated skills are key to Yendi ’s economic development, and that is why we are initiating this project" he noted. "With relevant employable skills, individuals can set up their own companies and organisations, making more job opportunities available for the unemployed" he underscored. According to the MP, once his constituents are exposed to relevant jobs, the Yendi Municipal Assembly will also benefit from tax policy initiatives. Currently, less than three million Ghanaians out of over 35 million people pay taxes to the Ghana Revenue Authority. This is largely because there are a lot of unemployed Ghanaians idling day in and day out. If attention is given to technical and vocational training, Ghana could realise personal employment initiatives which will put citizens in a better position to support government with voluntary payments of taxes and voluntary donations to support development projects. A cogent step, phenomenally driving the skills development program of the Lawmaker in charge of Yendi. When the center is completed, the people of Yendi, he confirmed, will no longer depend on many foreign products that could easily be manufactured and delivered in the ancient town. He assured his constituents that he will work hard to secure external sources of support for the center, attract high investments into the constituency, all to improve the number of companies operating in Yendi. All these strategic ideas, he observed will depend largely on quality and skillful human labour to drive production and investment necessary for Yendi to thrive. With highly skilled human resources available, he said Yendi will continue to attract more opportunities. "All these will tend to alleviate the pressure on the local economy in Yendi, and our quest to invite foreign companies to invest in the constituency’s economy, will materialize as they will utilise the human resources available to create jobs and in return, achieve their goals. More jobs in Yendi will also reduce crime rate, decrease hunger and anger and the environment will become friendlier for people to patronise. Again, the environment, he said he wants to create will enhance the problem-solving ability of indigenes "Individuals are better placed to solve emerging challenges when they are technically enhanced. "Indigenes ability to solve problems, face any difficulty with the hope of overcoming them and winning depends on the confidence they have in themselves as they undergo training to excel mentally in their various areas of interest" he added. Alhaji Farouk Aliu Mahama also wants to use the skills development center to cure the age-old perception of Ghanaians not interested in technical and vocational education. Many believe Ghanaians fancy white-collar jobs, office work, supervision, and advisory roles without having physical involvement, but the narrative in Yendi will soon change the story. The dynamic MP said he will want to see more innovations, and creativity through the various subjects of training that be applied within the program schedule to make the skills development center vibrant and relevant. These programs, he emphasized, must contribute to change the age-old mindsets of people looking down on vocational skills.