The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, in Government’s bid to to equip people with the technical and professional skills needed for socioeconomic and industrial development of the country commissioned facilities and vehicles amounting to over $131m to further boost Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET).

According to a statement from the Presidency on Tuesday, the facilities included a state-of-the-art TVET Service headquarters as well as the Applied Technology Institute, which contains classroom blocks, ICT centres, administration blocks, workshops, male and female dormitories, and installation of workshop equipment.

The Vice President also distributed to the TVET Service 37 buses, 21 double cabin pickups, 2 tractors, 3 Toyota Fortuners and 1 Toyota V8 Landcruiser, in addition to 26 Computer Based Trainining occupational standards developed in the various trade areas.

In Dr Bawumia’ speech at the ceremony on Tuesday at the TVET headquarters in Accra, he indicated that the facilities represent the biggest investment in TVET education in the history of the country, adding that the facilities and vehicles have come as a huge relief to all stakeholders in TVET.

“The overall expenditure for this project amounts to USD 131,657,198 and this has been one of the largest investments in the TVET landscape in Ghana,” said Dr. Bawumia.
“The completion of this project has brought a sigh of relief to the management of Ghana TVET Service, the beneficiary institutions, students and the general public.”

Dr. Bawumia noted that all these facilities and projects are manifestations of the commitment of the Government of President Akufo-Addo towards TVET education, which was prioritised in 2017 after the Akufo-Addo government took office.

“At the beginning of this administration in 2017, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had a vision to align all TVET institutions in the country, to provide appropriate governance and management structure for a unified national TVET system” He said.

In addition, the Vice President revealed that new workshops (computer, electrical, electronic, building construction, mechanical); rehabilitation of buildings in two (2) Technical institutes (Abetifi and Don Bosco) and four (4) Senior High Technical Schools (Kyebi SHTS, Dagbon State SHTS, St. Georges SHTS and GSTS), ongoing construction of five new District TVET centers of excellence at Anyinam and Pakyi No. 2 (near completion) while that of Assin Jakai in Central Region, Akomadan and Manso Abore in Ashanti Region will start soon.

The government, Dr. Bawumia said, has also completed and inaugurated the rehabilitation of ten (10) Technical Universities and thirteen (13) Technical Institutes, which includes construction of new workshops/laboratories and supply and installation of equipment fit for disciplines in electrical and electronics engineering, welding technology, automotive maintenance, civil engineering, and mechanical engineering.