MTN Ghana Foundation has inaugurated the Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Project (YEEP) at Nsawam, which saw 50 beneficiaries graduate with certificates in mobile phone repairs.
The project was a partnership between the MTN Ghana Foundation and Plan International, aimed at empowering young people with the employable skills needed to help reduce youth unemployment rates in the Nsawam area.
Experts in mobile phone repairs were engaged to train the youth in: introduction to mobile phone technology; basic customer service’ front end repairs; repair and rectification of faults in mobile phones. They were also trained on how to maintain a safe and secure work environment. At the end of the training programme, the beneficiaries comprising 36 young men and 14 women were each provided with equipment and kiosks to start their own mobile phone repair ventures within Nsawam and its environs.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, a board member of the MTN Ghana Foundation, Mrs. Nabilla Williams said: “Despite the good intentions of government and the private sector, youth unemployment is a major source of concern. That is why this project is really important and timely. The training and equipping of these youth to engage in mobile phone repairs is certainly a fantastic project we all have to embrace”.
She said: “Based on this, the MTN Ghana Foundation has committed GH¢445,000 to support the training of 100 young women and men in Nsawam and Suhum. The first 50 beneficiaries are passing out today with skills in mobile phone repairs”.
On her part, the IT Manager of Plan International, Madam Maud Tsagli, expressed her gratitude to MTN Ghana Foundation for accepting to partner them in implementing the project. She said: “Equipping the youth with entrepreneurial skills and employment aims at fulfilling the SDG goal 8”.
The Municipal Chief Executive for Nsawam Adoagyiri Municipal Assembly, Hon. Isaac Kwadjo Buabeng – who was the special guest of honour, thanked MTN Ghana Foundation for coming on board to empower the youth in his municipality. He also encouraged the beneficiaries to put their skills and knowledge acquired to good use, by not only seeing it as a source of income but also as an avenue to create employment for others in their various communities.
The representative who spoke on behalf of the beneficiaries expressed their profound gratitude to MTN Ghana Foundation for coming to their aid with such novel training.
Since inception of the MTN Ghana Foundation in 2007, it has implemented over 154 major projects in areas of health, education and economic empowerment at a total cost of US$15million. These projects are estimated to have impacted over 4 million people.
