The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and European Union (EU) have launched a project aimed at revolutionising Ghana’s technical and vocational education and training (TVET) system.
Dubbed the ‘EU Ghana Pact4Skills; Support to the Transformation of the TVET System in Ghana (STTSG)’, the programme is a joint partnership between the BMZ and EU in cooperation with government.
The nearly four-year long project implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in cooperation with the Commission for TVET, Ghana TVET Service and other public and private sector partners contributes to the Team Europe Initiative (TEI) on Smart, Green and Digital Recovery in Ghana.
The German government is expected to invest €10million toward the project, while the EU will provide €6million as funding support.
Empowerment
Speaking at a short ceremony in Accra to launch the project, Country Director-GIZ, Regina Barbosa, said the project will aggressively empower the country’s workforce through enhanced skills development and employment opportunities – a critical step toward addressing the country’s yawning skills gap and fostering sustainable economic growth.
This, she said, will be done through the creation of structures that meet the requirements of sustainable development in economic, social and environmental terms through strategic development of the competencies of government TVET actors, and the practical and pedagogical skills of TVET staff.
“Today’s launch of the EU-Ghana Pact4Skills: Support to the Transformation of the TVET System in Ghana project, will among other things facilitate the establishment of a high quality and efficient TVET system in Ghana for industry-specific employment promotion,” she stated.
She added that: “The Ministry of Education is a partner for this bi-lateral project; and so we will also work closely with the TVET Directorate as an implementing partner of the project”.
Journey to vibrant and inclusive TVET
The Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, said the project will revolunise the TVET ecosystem by inculcating practical knowledge into training.
“The book-TVET is over. It’s not going to help our country,” he stated. “So, various companies have partnered the Commission for TVET to ensure that TVET becomes practical and not something that we do out of textbooks. That is the difference about the support we are getting now,” he stated.
He said the Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED) will lead in the training of TVET instructors under the project.
“The training of TVET instructors has to be different. The hands-on training with the book-training has to come together in order for us to have well-qualified TVET instructors in our schools,” he stated.
Priority countries for German development aid
In his address, the German Ambassador to Ghana, Daniel Krull, mentioned that Germany and Ghana have had good relations and development cooperation dating back to the days of Ghana’s independence in 1957.
According to the Ambassador, together with national partners Germany aims to support the achievement of sustainable and equitable economic growth as well as faster poverty reduction in Ghana. “Ghana is one of the priority countries for German development aid abroad,” he added.
On his part, the EU Ambassador to Ghana, Irchad Razaaly, noted that education and skills development are at the centre of the EU-Ghana Pact for Skills programme – and as a result the project will mainly focus on enhancement of sustainable financing for TVET and reinforcing the relevance and availability of technical education
He further expressed the EU’s commitment to promoting skills that meet demands of the labour market, as was evident in the theme of the 2023 Europe month celebration in Ghana.
“I believe there is no better way to close the Europe Month on ‘Youth and Skills’ than launching this new EU-German-Ghana partnership. The only way to drive progress toward education for all is by working with all actors in the field – from civil society and youth, to EU member-states and multilateral organisations, together we must ensure Ghanaian youth receive the quality education and skills they need to thrive,” he stated.
