Samuel Ayertey supports apprenticeship training of 70 girls with GH¢28,000

Deputy Eastern Regional Minister and New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for Lower Manya Krobo in the Eastern Region on Thursday, 24th September, 2020 put the smiles on the faces of 70 young women in his constituency when he enrolled them in various apprenticeship programs.

Mr. Samuel Nuertey Ayertey paid a total of GH¢28,000 (Gh¢400 each) as the full apprenticeship fee for the girls.

He also presented 15 sewing machines, a hairdryer, 100 sets of mesh, 100 sets of rollers, 100 sets of combs, 50 buckets of hair pomade, 10 packs of 5kg flour and other ingredients for baking to the beneficiaries as startup equipment and items for their apprenticeships.

The beneficiaries include 15 tailors, 50 hair stylists and 5 bakers who are beginning a three-year apprenticeship in their respective fields.

Explaining the reasons behind the gesture, the Deputy Regional Minister said this was to reduce the burden on the girls’ parents while serving as motivation, inspiration and encouragement for them to secure gainful employment in society.

The NPP parliamentary candidate said though a lot of the youth had access to government’s free SHS policy, some were still not in school and therefore required skills training to enable them earn a decent source of livelihood.

“I realized that there are a lot of youth who are not doing anything. Apart from those who have had the opportunity of attending free SHS, there are others who have not been able to go to school and so I decided that they should also have something doing,” he said adding that this motivated him to enroll the girls in the apprenticeship programs.

“This is the phase one of the whole projects and I’ll come out with the second phase where I’ll admit the second batch into another apprenticeship program.”

He expressed regret that the people of Lower Manya Krobo were yet to benefit from the NDC despite voting consistently for its parliamentary candidates since 1992.

“If we are voting then we must benefit from it. But we have not benefitted in Lower Manya Krobo for the past twenty-eight years,” said the MP aspirant. “So this is the time for you to try me for only four years and see.”

The Deputy Minister who believes he has the required qualities to execute his mandate as an MP if given the chance, tasked party faithful to win four ‘souls’ each to ensure resounding success for him and the NPP to accelerate development in the constituency.

“This time, we are going full swing to make sure we win the seat come 7th December,” he said confidently.

The Deputy Minister, therefore, urged the masters of the apprentices to take good care of the girls to enable them to complete their training successfully to become responsible women in future.

Municipal Chief Executive For Lower Manya Krobo, Simon Kweku Tetteh, catalogued the myriad of achievements initiated by the Nana Akuffo Addo led NPP government through Mr. Ayertey and the local assembly.

He identified the NPP government as the best for the country and called on the electorate to ensure that the party is retained come the December elections while ensuring that the party’s parliamentary candidate is elected as the first Member of Parliament for the area on the ticket of the NPP.

Some of the projects include ongoing construction of town roads, school infrastructure, market projects, office complexes for various institutions, etc.

Eastern Regional Director of the National Youth Authority, Mrs. Mariam Mansah Minah who was Special Guest of Honour at the event appreciated the move by the Deputy Regional Minister of “teaching the young ladies how to fish rather than giving them fish” and charged the beneficiaries to put the items to good use to enjoy its maximum benefits.

Though she noted that some of the beneficiaries may not have all the required facilities after their apprenticeship such as a store to fully operate, she urged them to “start small” from home and raise the needed resources to fully establish themselves and train others in return.

According to the director, the doors of the NYA were always opened to all youth and urged them to approach them for the necessary assistance and advice.

President of Demosha Ladies, an all-female support group of the NPP in the constituency, Evelyn Wosilat Masudi who mobilized the girls for the apprenticeship programs said she thought it prudent to draw young girls who were deprived of the very basic opportunities to the leaders for the necessary opportunities to be extended to them.

Madam Masudi who said 500 young women were identified, said some of them had already been assisted to access MASLOC loans for various trading activities with more in the offing to be offered similar opportunities.

She extended her deepest appreciation to the aspiring MP for the gesture and called on the constituents to support his parliamentary aspirations to enable him provide more of such assistance for the community.

A lot more girls in the constituency have so far been given similar assistance and other financial support to learn a trade in the area through the MASLOC scheme.