The European Union in Ghana is supporting tertiary education under its ‘EU-Ghana Pact for Skills’ Programme.
The collaboration is pivotal in transforming Ghana’s educational landscape and empowering Ghanaian youth through enhanced educational mobility.
Professor Yayra Dzakadzie, Deputy Director General for the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), speaking at the Study in Europe Networking Event, commended the EU for their support to the educational sector.
The Networking event on the theme: ‘Empowering the Ghanaian Youth’ brought various stakeholders together to share and exchange information.
The event is a partnership between the EU and Ghana to invest in the future of Ghanaian youth.
He said the decision to invest in Ghana’s tertiary education through the ‘EU-Ghana Pact for Skills’ Programme was a testament to their unwavering commitment to promoting sustainable employability and enhancing the skills of students.
He said the initiative aligned perfectly with Ghana’s shared vision of equipping
young talents with the necessary tools to thrive in an ever-evolving job market.
He said the Pact for Skills Programme was a timely intervention addressing several critical challenges within the education system.
‘We face the urgent need to strengthen connections between the government, universities, and the private sector,’ he added.
The Deputy Director-General said addressing the skills mismatch between the country’s students’ preparation and the requirements of the digital job market was paramount.
Additionally, there is a pressing need to bolster the employment services available at our universities to ensure our graduates are well-prepared for the workforce.
‘Moreover, fostering entrepreneurship and innovation is a key priority,’ he added.
He said the establishment of incubation centres would provide aspiring entrepreneurs with the support they need, guiding them from the initial idea phase to the successful launch of their enterprises.
‘This will not only create job opportunities but also drive e
conomic growth and development in Ghana,’ he said.
He said the event was an opportunity to explore the numerous opportunities available for the country’s students and to forge connections with initiatives that would bring tangible value to them.
Mr Irchad Razaaly, the EU Ambassador to Ghana, said the EU had signed another contract under the Pact with the International Labour Organization for the National Green Job Strategy.
He said the collaboration would help the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations in the implementation of the National Green Job Strategy.
The Strategy has been developed to create platforms, develop capacities, and institute measures that would organise and harmonise ongoing green interventions through effective coordination.
It adopts a multi-sectoral approach to ensure the effective delivery of goods and services by specialised state and non-state actors through the implementation of measures that support the growth and expansion of the green economy in Ghana.
Ms Vanessa Phala
, Country Director of the ILO Office for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, called on students to take advantage of the opportunities created to contribute meaningfully to the development of the Ghanaian economy.
Source: Ghana News Agency