In a step toward tackling unemployment and promoting self-reliance, GrowAfrica for Me, a non-governmental organization, has rolled out an intensive skills training program targeting young women across the Upper East Region.
The initiative, officially launched over the weekend, seeks to equip participants with practical vocational and entrepreneurial skills, enabling them to build sustainable livelihoods amid limited formal employment opportunities.
According to the Executive Director of GrowAfrica for Me, Albert Shiebila Mali, the training covers diverse areas such as agribusiness, tailoring, soap and detergent production, hairdressing, and digital entrepreneurship. Beyond technical know-how, participants are also taken through financial literacy and business management to prepare them for the competitive market.
Speaking at the launch, Mr. Mali emphasized that youth and women remain the backbone of the region’s economic development but often face barriers such as lack of access to capital, mentorship, and relevant skills.
“Youth unemployment and limited economic opportunities for women remain a pressing challenge in Ghana, particularly in the northern regions. In rural areas such as Bolgatanga, the situation is compounded by poverty, low access to formal education, and limited vocational and entrepreneurship opportunities. Out-of-school youth, single mothers, and women with little or no formal education often lack marketing skills, financial literacy, and access to resources that could enable them to start and sustain businesses. As a result, many remain confined to low-paying informal work or become economically dependent, which restricts their decision-making power within families and communities,” he noted.
Mr. Mali added that the consequences of these challenges are far-reaching, leading to high household poverty levels, reduced women’s contribution to family income, and slowed local development due to low female economic participation.
To address this, GrowAfrica for Me has introduced the GrowAfrica Skills 4 Her (GASH4Her) program. The initiative is designed to provide hands-on training in vocational and entrepreneurial fields such as soap-making, beadwork, and cosmetic production, while also strengthening financial literacy and business management.
Some beneficiaries shared their excitement about the program’s impact.
“My name is Akaming Bayam Rose from Wiaga. When I joined GrowAfrica for Me, I learned how to save money and start a small business. They even introduced us to dropshipping. Today, we are learning soap-making, and I believe once I raise some funds, I can start producing soap in my community to support myself financially,” she said.
Another participant, Seidu Salimatu from Gowrie, shared: “Through this initiative, I’ve learned how to separate business money from personal money, manage customers, and run my business properly. We’re now doing practical training, and I’m confident that by the end, I’ll be able to produce bathing soap on my own and even scale it up to earn income.”
Mr. Mali appealed for support from individuals and organizations to help expand the program’s reach across northern Ghana.
“Within the next five years, we aim to train about 10,000 women and girls in TVET, provide entrepreneurship and financial literacy training to 80% of participants, and equip 70% with start-up kits and mentorship. We want to run the program every quarter, but currently, we are funding it from our own resources. With sponsorship, we can extend this training to the many communities calling on us.”
With growing calls for practical solutions to unemployment, GrowAfrica for Me’s skills training initiative offers renewed hope—not just for participants, but for the region’s broader development agenda.
Source: A1Radioonline.com | 101.1 MHz | Samuel Adagom | Bolgatanga
