Absa Bank Ghana LTD, in collaboration with CAMFED Ghana (Campaign for Female Education), has launched a Vocational Skills Training Programme aimed at empowering underprivileged young women with essential vocational skills to help them achieve economic independence.
The programme initially seeks to equip 100 young women, with plans to expand support to an additional 400 over the next three years. This initiative is part of Absa Bank’s commitment to being a ‘Force for Good’ in all its endeavours and represents one of many activities undertaken by the bank to give back to society. The beneficiaries are young women who have completed Senior High School but are unable to further their education due to various socioeconomic barriers.
Adolph Kpegah, the Interim Managing Director of Absa Bank Ghana, expressed his hope that the programme will inspire similar initiatives, serving as catalysts to elevate women from poverty and further alleviate poverty in our communities.
“Absa believes ‘Your Story Matters.’ I urge you to seize this opportunity and commit to the programme as this is the key to unlocking your potential and achieving financial independence,” he encouraged the participants.
The training programme will include a variety of marketable skills aligned with Ghana’s growing sectors, such as weaving, baking, and soap making. In addition to technical skills, the programme will also offer mentoring and basic business management training, ensuring that participants are well-equipped to start and manage their own businesses successfully.
Fairuza Safian, the National Director of CAMFED Ghana, was optimistic about the impact of the partnership with Absa Bank on women in underserved communities.
“This partnership will allow us to reach many more women in underserved communities with the skills they need to become self-employed and to employ others within their communities, which will help further reduce the unemployment situation in the country,” she said.
According to Mawusi Nudekor Awity, the Director General for Ghana TVET Services, TVET is the most practical way to reduce the rate of unemployment in the country.
“TVET is the way to go. By training many more young people with employable skills, I believe we can even turn Ghana into a TVET hub within the sub-region. We have the raw materials; we just need value addition. I believe this Vocational Skills Training programme by Absa Bank and CAMFED will help bridge that gap and contribute to reducing the country’s unemployment rate,” she emphasised.
