By Juliet Aguiar DUGBARTEY, Sekondi
The Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) has announced its readiness to establish a Maritime Training Centre at the Takoradi Technical University (TTU).
“We are going to use the facilities of the Ghana Navy at Sekondi to train the people practically; then, they’ll be doing the theory at the TTU campus with an accreditation from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Training Center based in Palermo, Italy,” Abdul Mumin Issah, Chief Executive Officer of STMA, announced.
The move aims to train young people for the oil and gas sector. The Western Region remains the hub of upstream oil and gas activities in the country.
However, the region lacks training facilities to help prepare most young people for opportunities in the upstream petroleum industry.
It is against this background that STMA, in partnership with TTU, is taking steps to establish a maritime training centre.
“The thinking is that if we’re able to get a maritime school here in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis, it will be good for the youth and the industry,” he added.
Mr. Issah was speaking at a media briefing to provide an update on the twin-cities in Sustainable Partnership Project (TCSPP) at Sekondi.
About TCSSP
He explained that the TCSP project has a three-year duration, with this year being the final year of implementation.
The three-year TCSPP is targeted at addressing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 11 and 17, which focus on sustainable cities and communities and partnerships for development, respectively.
The overall objective of the project, he said, is to promote sustainable and integrated urban development through interventions to improve urban management, foster transnational cooperation, enhance socio-economic development as well as employment generation and promotion of cultural heritage.
“As part of the second-year activities, transnational exchange visits were embarked on by the project team to Palermo, Italy and vice versa; and some commitments have so far been established,” he said.
He mentioned that the Sekondi-Takoradi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (STCCI) and Ghana Sicily Business Forum have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote trade and commerce between the two cities and beyond. The two parties are planning trade exhibitions, B2B conferences and many others in both cities.
Again, he said the second year of the project saw the implementation of various skills training models aimed at providing employable skills to vulnerable unemployed women and youths to set up social enterprises. Capacity-building programmes in social accountability, inclusive urban governance and sustainable and integrated urban development were also organised for stakeholders – including traditional authorities, assembly members, unit committee members, spatial planning committees, the youth and CSOs.
According to him, construction of 500 household bio-digester toilets for selected beneficiaries across the metropolis has commenced under the project.
Similarly, he said 120 eco-friendly “Ahoto” smokeless ovens are being constructed for fish mongers in Sekondi European Town, New Takoradi, Essikado, Bakakyir and Ngyiresia communities.
In addition, he said three reproductive health centres are being constructed through the project at Kojokrom, Essipong and Diabenekrom.
“The assembly, in an effort to sustain the gains made from this project, has decided to explore other funding sources for more people in the metropolis to benefit beyond the project. We would continue to count on the support of all the stakeholders, including the media to ensure the successful implementation of the project for the benefit of the people of Sekondi-Takoradi,” he concluded.
