The Sekondi-Takoradi Metro Assembly (STMA) and European Union (EU) have inaugurated a green and climate-smart production technologies skills and entrepreneurship training centre at Sekondi in the Western Region.
The training centre is under the Twin-Cities in Sustainable Partnership Project (TCSPP), which focuses on skills development, improved sanitation, mitigating climate change and promoting equity and employment.
This training forms part of the Ghana government’s agenda and the EU’s commitment to address unemployment, environmental degradation and mitigation of adverse effects from climate change on livelihoods through green business.
The centre will train 150 beneficiaries from vulnerable groups – including unemployed women, young people, returnees and potential future migrants in bio-digester technologies, eco-friendly oven production, as well as plastic waste recycling for people in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis
“I am impressed with the early completion of this training centre,” said Paulina Rozycka, Head-Infrastructure and Sustainable Development, Delegation of the European Union to Ghana.
She said climate-smart technology and entrepreneurship is very important: “It will create employment and reduce waste in the city”.
She added that the centre will equip trainees with the necessary skills to build a green local economy and a healthier city.
According to Abdul-Mumin Issah, Metropolitan Chief Executive-Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis, the trainees will be engaged to construct 500 bio-digester toilets and 100 eco-friendly ovens for households in low-income coastal and fishing communities respectively, as part of measures to resource them after the training.
This, he said, will make the trainees become self-employed and able to set up micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises.
He urged the trainees to embrace and actively participate throughout the training.
“It is my wish that you all make good use of the opportunity offered by this project to acquire skills and contribute positively to national development. The Assembly, on its part, has already initiated all the necessary processes to ensure the facility’s sustainability after the project period,” he concluded.
In a related development, the STMA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Covenant of Mayors in sub-Saharan Africa and GIZ to tackle issues relating to climate change.
“The MoU is on a comprehensive partnership for a multi-sectoral approach to resilient and sustainable cities, through amplifying adaptation and mitigation measures as well as promoting climate-smart infrastructure within the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis,” explained the Chief Executive Officer-STMA.
“I wish to express my gratitude to the EU, German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development and GIZ for the opportunity to fully enrol onto the CoM SSA Initiative, which is the Regional Chapter of an International Alliance of Cities – the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM).”
The MoU shows STMA’s commitment to taking bold action on climate change, and CoM SSA is ready to support the city immediately – beginning with assessment of the STMA public buildings for renewable energy solutions, said Shea O’Neil, Project Manager-CoM SSA Ghana.
