Accra has seen the creation of the Skills Development and Productivity Enhancement Project (PSDPEP) in an effort to combat the unemployment brought on by the Covid-19 outbreak.
The initiative aims to aid in Ghana's long-term post-Covid-19 health sector recovery as well as the restoration of livelihoods, income, employment prospects, and private sector growth.
It also aims to encourage women and young people to start businesses and pursue technological careers.
A grant facility of US $31.34 million, including $28.5 million from the African Development Bank (AfDB) and 2.8 million from the government of Ghana, is used to support the project.
The project will be carried out in Greater Accra, Ashanti, Eastern, Bono, Northern, Central, and Upper West regions of Ghana. Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, Minister of Employment and Labor Relations, referred to the initiative as opportune in his remarks during the opening.
According to him, the initiative is in keeping with important government development policy frameworks, including the Country Strategy Paper, the Government Coordinated Program of Economic and Social Development, and the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda (2019- 2013).
The Employment Minister exhorted PSDPEP recipients to take ownership of the initiative by incorporating it into their programmes.
Mr. Baffour-Awuah was confident that it was essential for the project's effective execution. Albert Kofi Owusu, the general manager of the Ghana News Agency (GNA), was overjoyed about the AfDB award.
He called it "a very opportune investment at a time when the Agency desperately needs a cash injection."
According to Mr. Owusu, the financial assistance would allow Ghana's wire service to hire new employees, renovate five of its regional offices, including the Accra headquarters, and buy new technology to improve its news gathering operations.
"I stand here today to convey our sincere gratitude for this amazing support from the AfDB on behalf of the Board, Management, and Staff of the Agency, as well as the Ministry of Information," he said.
Kofi Frimpong, the project coordinator and executive director of the Social Investment Fund, claimed that lockdowns caused the epidemic to disrupt livelihoods at the individual, household, and business levels.
Therefore, he said, the project will aid in lessening the suffering of those impacted.
According to Emmanuel Fordjour, Desk Head of AFDB at the Ministry of Finance, the Bank is dedicated to helping Ghana recover from the suffering the country's citizens endured as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.
The Social Investment Fund, the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), the Microbiology Center, the School of Nursing and Midwifery, and the Ghana News Agency are recipients of PSDPEP funding.
The National Vocational Training Institute, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection make up the remainder.
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