The Ghana government will establish a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Fund from January 2027 to strengthen skills development and reduce youth unemployment.
The proposed financing mechanism is expected to support technical and vocational education and equip young people with industry-relevant skills to meet national development and labour market needs.
Mr Haruna Iddrisu, Minister of Education, announced the government’s approval of the fund at the launch of Ecobank Ghana’s Rising Leaders initiative in Accra.
He said President John Dramani Mahama had directed the Ministries of Finance, Energy and Education to develop modalities for the establishment and sustainability of the fund.
“If Ghana is to succeed in addressing its growing unemployment and underemployment, we have to shift focus and invest more in technical and vocational education,” the Minister said.
Mr Iddrisu described investment in technical and vocational education as essential to addressing unemployment and preparing the workforce with skills demanded by industry.
He also urged tertiary institutions to remain focused on their core mandates, expressing concern that some universities were moving away from science, engineering and technology programmes despite growing national demand for technical expertise.
The Minister said the government welcomed partnerships with the private sector to strengthen leadership development and skills acquisition among young people.
He said the Ecobank Ghana’s Rising Leaders initiative was a significant contribution to national development, adding that the Government alone could not prepare the country’s future leaders.
Mr Iddrisu commended the bank for investing its corporate social responsibility resources in mentorship and leadership development rather than limiting support to traditional donations.
He said success in the 21st century required more than academic qualifications or technical competence, urging young people to develop discipline, adaptability, creativity, emotional intelligence and integrity.
The Minister encouraged participants in the programme to strengthen their communication skills, build resilience and embrace leadership as a responsibility founded on service and impact rather than titles or privilege.
Mrs Abena Osei-Poku, Managing Director of Ecobank Ghana, said the Rising Leaders initiative reflected the bank’s commitment to identifying, mentoring and developing young professionals, entrepreneurs and graduates across Africa.
She said although Africa possessed abundant talent, many young people lacked access to mentorship, exposure and strategic networks needed to realise their full potential.
Mrs Osei-Poku said the initiative would provide practical learning opportunities, mentorship, engagement with experienced business executives and access to professional networks to accelerate participants’ personal and career development.
She said the programme, themed “From Potential to Power,” highlighted the importance of intentionally developing leadership capacity to transform talent into meaningful impact.
Mrs Osei-Poku said Ecobank’s role extended beyond banking to investing in people and developing confident, values-driven and globally competitive African leaders.
She urged participants to take ownership of their development by engaging fully with the programme, asking difficult questions and building meaningful professional relationships.
Mrs Osei-Poku said the success of the initiative would ultimately be measured by the quality of leaders it produced, the careers it transformed and the positive impact beneficiaries made within their communities and across the continent.
Source: GNA
