Cape Coast, March 27, GNA - His Eminence Peter Cardinal Appiah-Turkson, Catholic Archbishop of Cape Coast, has called on Ghanaian investors and companies to invest in local innovations and inventions made at vocational and technical institutions to improve local industrialization in the country.
He said it was ideal for Ghanaians to fund such technological activities, and stop importing inferior products under the notion that "quality of Made-in -Ghana goods are sub-standard". Cardinal Appiah-Turkson made the call when addressing the opening session of the 28th Annual National Conference of Association of Heads of Catholic Higher Intuitions (AHCHI) in Cape Coast. The two-day conference is under the theme: "The New Education Reform- Producing a Ghanaian with a New Mentality - The TVET Factor". He noted that government could not encourage vocational and technical education and industry, when it did not have a policy to develop and protect the indigenous market, adding, "It must help control the influx of foreign goods, especially, when the same products can be produced locally with a better quality". Dr Albert Dare, Director for Educational Planning and Administration, University of Cape Coast, said the key to change Ghanaian mentality on local goods was education. He said the manner of thinking had affected the Ghanaian mentality and were unable to accept change due to lack of education. Dr Dare pointed out that there was a link between education, development and economic growth because of industrialization created by developed economies and the emerging East Asian economies, pre-conditioning the place and role of developing economies such as Ghana's economy.
Nana Ato Arthur, Central Regional Minister, said the educational reforms would ensure the nation produced knowledgeable, well trained and healthy population with adequate capacity to support accelerated economic growth and poverty reduction.
He said under the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) about 500,000 jobs were expected to be created between 2006-2009 and about 174,670 youths had so far been registered out of which 13,016 were from the region. Nana Arthur said out of the youths registered nationwide 78,195 were employed in 2006 with 6,397 being employed in the region.
