President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has said it is the goal of his Government to make Ghana a world-class centre for skills development, and a leading country in technical and vocational education training (TVET) delivery in Africa.

According to President Akufo-Addo, his government has already taken steps to achieve this goal by aligning and bringing all public TVET institutions in the country under the direct supervision of the Ministry of Education to streamline their curricula, and improve the co-ordination of their training.

Speaking at the centenary celebrations of Asuansi Technical Institute, in Asuansi, in the Central Region, President Akufo-Addo outlined Government’s strategic policy on Technical and Vocational Education and Training.

He stated: “we want to emphasize the importance of TVET, and redeem the misconception that technical and vocational education is inferior, and patronized only by less endowed students.”

“The 5-year Strategic Plan for TVET will result in the setting up a TVET Service and TVET Council, and a dedicated division of the education service for technical and vocational education, which would have its own Director General,

“We recognise that science, technology and technical skills rule industry, and you rule yourself out if you are not appropriately equipped. Every child must be offered the opportunity to bring out her inherent talents for innovation. It is in the laboratories and workshops that young people get the opportunity to expand their imagination, and develop the skills that would equip them for the modern world,” he elaborated further

President Akufo-Addo continued, “We need to modernise all aspects of our lives, and we need skilled people to lead the modernisation process. If we are to transform the structure of our economy from one dependent on the production and export of raw materials, to a value-added, industrialised one, then students from technical institutions, such as yours, are crucial.”