Girls in Bongo-Beo to acquire skills

Bongo-Beo (U/E), July 16, GNA - Twenty girls from Bongo-Beo in the Upper East Region, have been offered opportunity to learn skills in sewing and hairdressing.

Mr Andrew Awuni, Deputy Minister of Information who is helping the girls, on Wednesday presented hair dryers, hair steaming machines, and sewing machines worth 20 million cedis for the training at Bongo-Beo and also commissioned a skills acquisition centre, a hall, where the training would take place.

The girls, some of whom are Junior Secondary School graduates and others drop-outs from school are expected to undergo training for three years after which they would have acquired enough skills to start their own businesses.

Speaking at a gathering of the community, Mr Awuni said it was more beneficial to equip the youth with skills that would enable them to earn income and support themselves than to give food aid or small amounts of money to poor communities as that would not alleviate their poverty. He appealed to the Ministry of Manpower and Employment to adopt the centre and expand it to include other trade ventures for young people. Mr Clement Apikiya, Bong District Chief Executive, asked the girls to stay and learn the skills for the entire training period so that they would be able to put their knowledge to good use.

He urged the people to patronise non-formal education, which, he said, was being effectively handled by the district assembly. Naba Amaale Anabila, Chief of the community, thanked the Deputy Minister and said the training would engage the youth in beneficial work and help them start life well on their own.

He said the young people in the community, who had nothing to do usually migrated to the big cities and neighbouring Togo and Burkina Faso to do menial jobs and sometimes end up involving themselves in all sorts of social vices.

He advised parents to, especially take good care of their daughters and ensure that they grow up to be responsible and independent women.