The Member of Parliament for the Nabdam Constituency, Dr Mark Kurt Nawaane, has donated 15 sewing machines to the Centre for National Culture in the Nabdam District to support vocational training for young people, particularly young women.
The donation follows an inspection of the centre by the MP, during which he observed the challenges confronting the facility and the lack of equipment needed to effectively train the youth in various vocational skills.
Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Dr Nawaane said the initiative was largely community-driven and had been championed by the Nabdam District Director of the Centre for National Culture, Madam Gladys Ayamga.
According to him, Madam Ayamga had been working over the past six months to organise young women to acquire vocational skills but faced difficulties securing the necessary equipment.
He said after visiting the centre and witnessing the situation firsthand, he decided to seek support to provide the needed sewing machines.
“When I went back to Accra, I tried to look around and, thanks to God, today I am donating 15 sewing machines to the centre. This is a community-initiated activity.”
Dr Nawaane stressed the importance of vocational and technical education, noting that not every young person must necessarily pursue university education.
He said Ghana needed more people with practical and technical skills to meet the demands of the economy.
“Not everybody is supposed to learn and go to university and go and do academic work. Currently, what we lack in Ghana is technical skills. What we lack in Ghana is vocational skills,” he said.
In addition to the sewing machines, Dr Nawaane announced a financial support of GH¢5,000 to assist the centre in its training activities and enable the beneficiaries to explore additional vocational areas, including weaving.
He also encouraged the centre to introduce other practical skills such as hairdressing and promised to support efforts to expand vocational training opportunities across the district.
The MP expressed hope that within the next two to four years, the centre would have a larger number of students acquiring different vocational skills.
He further urged the beneficiaries to take proper care of the sewing machines and use them strictly for their intended purpose.
“These machines are set up for you to use them to learn. Take good care of them. Make sure that you learn and learn and learn. That is just what we expect from you,” he said.
The Nabdam District Director of the Centre for National Culture, Madam Gladys Ayamga, expressed gratitude to Dr Nawaane for responding to the centre’s appeal for assistance.
She said efforts to secure sewing machines for the trainees had previously proved unsuccessful despite repeated attempts to obtain support.
“I am so grateful to him in the sense that he is able to come out to assist these youth. In fact, it’s not easy. I’ve been with them, struggling to get sewing machines to even equip them for the training,” she said.
Madam Ayamga explained that the centre plans to expand its training programmes beyond dressmaking to include beading, hand-tassel weaving and other vocational skills.
She, however, appealed for further support to enable the centre to extend its programmes to more communities in the district.
According to her, distance remains a major challenge for young people from communities such as Sakote who wish to benefit from the training.
She therefore called for support to establish or expand training opportunities in other parts of Nabdam so that young people would not have to travel long distances to access vocational education.
Genesis of the Vocational Training
Madam Ayamga explained that the vocational training initiative dates back to her time working with the Centre for National Culture in Bolgatanga, where she was involved in the hand-weaving and sewing departments.
She said the experience enabled her to train several young people, some of whom later joined the Centre for National Culture as workers.
She disclosed that in 2024, the centre trained 15 young women in dressmaking and five others in hand-tassel weaving. After completing their training, some beneficiaries received sewing machines and continued practising their trades within their respective communities.
Others subsequently followed her to Nabdam, where they continued their training and graduated in 2025.
Madam Ayamga said following the graduation, she appealed to the MP and the Nabdam District Assembly for support to recruit and train more young people.
She also said the programme had opened its doors to persons with disabilities and other young people seeking opportunities for self-employment.
She cited the example of a trainee who had previously learned dressmaking but returned to the centre to acquire additional skills in hand-tassel weaving.
Madam Ayamga said the ultimate goal was to equip young people with practical skills that could enable them to become self-reliant and improve their livelihoods.
The centre is expected to continue expanding its vocational programmes as it mobilises additional support and equipment for trainees across the Nabdam District.
Source: Apexnewsgh.com