… Commissions auto paint shop and graduates 11 ladies as mechanical engineers
A Kwansa Company Limited, popularly known as Kwansa Motors – a giant automobile firm in the Western Region, has climax its 50th anniversary celebration in Takoradi.
The occasion coincided with the opening of a newly-built Auto Paint Shop and the graduation of 11 females who were trained on Mechanical Engineering for a period of six months. They obtained certificates from the National Vocational Technical Institute (NVTI).
It was on the theme ‘Quality Service Delivery, a Key Role to the Development of Ghana’s Integrated and Competitive Automotive Industry’.
Dr. Eric Bruce-Amartey Jnr, Dean of Students’ Affairs at the Takoradi Technical University (TTU), in his brief remarks, pointed out that “unemployment has become a challenge in the country and there is a need for the youths to acquire vocational and technical skills to take advantage of jobs available in the artisanal field”.
He noted that there are over 120 universities in the country; “these are made up of 10 technical universities, 15 traditional universities as well as churches, family and individuals’ universities”.
These universities, he said, apparently churn out over 35,000 graduates yearly and there are no jobs available for them. To help solve the unemployment challenge in the country, TVET is the way to go as a country.
TVET, according to him, will provide with skills that will make the youth employable, enhance their livelihoods and create wealth.
Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, Western Regional Minister, said the private sector will continue to be the country’s engine of growth.
“As Kwansa Motors intensifies its commitment to quality services, I encourage the company take advantage of the conducive business environment and consider expanding to other regions,” he said.
This expansion, he noted, can contribute to youth employment and training, aligning with the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) initiative and addressing unemployment challenges.
“Continue to provide more training opportunities for the youth and government will support you in this direction to grow. Take advantage of the Automotive Development Policy that underscores Ghana’s commitment to fostering economic growth, creating employment opportunities and positioning the country as a key player in the automotive sector within the West African region,” he said.
He added, therefore: “I will encourage continuous learning and upgrading within the engineering and manufacturing fields to meet evolving customer demands and to also take advantage of government’s well-thought-through initiative for the industry”.
He congratulated the Kwansa Automobile for the 50 years’ anniversary and applauded them for good quality service delivery.
Nathaniel Kwansa, General Manager of K.A. Kwansa Company Limited, mentioned that a lot of individuals have benefitted from on-the-job training by the company for the past years.
“We started training those on the mechanical field two years ago on competency base at our training centre to be able to acquire certificates and be recognised at the international level. We also have students form the technical institutes and universities who come for practical training here,” he said.
He explained: “The 11 ladies graduating today have passed through the various stages in mechanical engineering and can do about 65 percent of maintenance job. They were awarded with scholarship by the Canadian Government through a non-governmental organisation”.
About Kwansa Automobile
Kwansa Automobile was established in 1973 by as a small mechanic shop owner Albert Kwaku Osae Gyan Kwansa with two apprentices in Takoradi.
In 1980’s the company faced stiff competition from local mechanics and a few organised auto-workshops in Takoradi, but the company stayed afloat by continuing to innovate and improve their competences on the job and established a fully-functional workshop.
Again, the company introduced new advanced technologies involving the use of diagnostic machines in serving modern electronic vehicles. The company hopes to become a centre of excellence with international best practices, and well-motivated and highly skill professionals.
