The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH – Ghana, through the Ghanaian-German Centre Jobs, Migration and Reintegration (GGC), and the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations (MELR), on 31st March, held a handing over and close-out session of a Targeted Gender Training programme in Accra.
The training programme, which was targeted at young persons, especially females, equipped trainee participants in Digital Photography, Drone Piloting and Graphic Design skills, which are considered male-dominated trade areas.
Overall, 200 applications were received, with 35 persons selected, of which 70 percent were women. The trainee participants had a choice of building capacity in photography and drone piloting, or in graphic design. Instruction was both in the classroom and practical field training.
In his opening remarks, David Tette, Senior National Programme Coordinator at the Ghanaian-German Centre noted that: “The pandemic has deepened pre-existing inequalities, exposing vulnerabilities in social, political and economic systems, which are in turn amplifying the impacts of the pandemic on women, children and other vulnerable groupings including returned migrants – the most affected group in this pandemic.
Therefore, there is a need for some essential activities and interventions to contribute toward the scaling down of extreme poverty, promoting development and resilience, and achieving the SDG-5 which states: “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls”.
“It was against this background that the training programme was developed. We explored skill areas that had demand with high commercial potential. As we are increasingly moving toward digitalisation, the skill areas of digital photography and drone piloting, and graphic design came up as front runners. More so because, these were areas with few women and there was the opportunity to contribute to increasing female participation in what is seen as male-dominated skill areas,” Mr. Tette stated, adding that the Ghanaian-German Centre is looking to scale this programme to other regions across Ghana.
In a statement to the trainee participants, Rodney Amankwah, Lead Consultant for UMTS – trainers of the participants, charged trainees to view their newly acquired skills seriously, as the training received has prepared them for the job market, whether as a jobseeker or a start-up entrepreneur. He encouraged them to develop a positive mindset and be intentional with everything that they do, while building and managing relationships.
The trainee participants demonstrated acquired skills in photography and graphic design through a catalogue exhibition, while the drone piloting skills were exhibited outdoors. They were very excited about acquiring new skills; for some, it was about gaining additional skills to what they already had, while for others, it was about upgrading their skills to the next level of professionalism.
“The training has accentuated my general knowledge in photography since I’m already pursuing it as a career. I have also learnt drone piloting skills, which is a plus for me in my photography career. I look forward to developing this passion and making the best use of it,” said Beverly Nkrumah, a trainee participant who opted for the photography and drone piloting specialisation.
“The training was worth my time, and it has really empowered me especially in storytelling. I look forward to using my acquired skills to tell the story of my community and create job opportunity for myself and others around me,” said George A.M. Shackleford, another trainee participant.
As a provider of international cooperation services for sustainable development and international education work, GIZ is dedicated to building a future worth living around the world. GIZ has over 50 years of experience in a wide variety of areas, including economic development and employment, energy and the environment, and peace and security.
The diverse expertise of our federal enterprise is in demand around the globe, with the German government, European Union institutions, the United Nations, the private sector and governments of other countries all benefiting from our services. We work with businesses, civil society actors and research institutions, fostering successful interaction between development policy and other policy fields and areas of activity. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is our main commissioning party.
Currently, GIZ promotes sustainable development in Ghana via about 50 programmes and projects. GIZ is boosting Ghana’s potential by focusing its projects on three priority areas: Responsibility for our planet – climate and energy, Training and sustainable growth for decent jobs as well as Peaceful and inclusive societies. Additionally, our portfolio extends to other areas such as environment, peace and security.
Another focus of GIZ’s work is linking business interests with development-policy goals. Most of the programmes and projects we support in Ghana have successfully brought together national and international private companies, the public sector and civil society groups to collaborate on development initiatives.
