Rlg, GYEEDA to train 30,000 youth in ICT

Government has launched the new phase of the youth-in-ICT Module intended to train a total of 30,000 youth across the country.

The new phase is to be implemented by the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA) and the RLG Institute of Technology, a subsidiary of RLG Communications Ltd and will span a period of one year.

Beneficiaries would be trained in entrepreneurship, software, hardware, mobile phone repairs and computer assembling. This will constitute a significant base for an Enterprise Project intended to make young people economically viable and independent.

Speaking at a ceremony to launch the programme in Accra, the Executive Director of GYEEDA, Abuga Pele said the increase in number follows the successful implementation of previous phases which has so far trained 24,000 people nationwide.

Mr Abuga Pele said the NYEP was transformed to GYEEDA to formalize inter-institutional relationships and build synergies between various agencies to support easy access of beneficiaries to the job market.

Mr Pele said the transformation also aimed at coordinating all youth employment and youth entrepreneurial development activities with the public and the private sector to ensure value delivery.

At the ceremony, 1,300 beneficiaries of the programme who had successfully undergone the programme graduated.

The Chief Executive of RLG, Mr Roland Agambire said 1,300 youth in the Greater Accra Region were part of the 7,134 youth who formed the last batch of trainees who underwent training in ICT at the Rlg Institute of Technology and the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Agency (GYEEDA) formerly of National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP).

He said each graduand will receive a setup kit as part of the business process and be mentored to practice the trade, earn income and grow their business, in addition to making available a modernized workstation under a special micro financing scheme for interested graduands.

Mr Agambire said the Rlg Company employs over 1,500 permanent staff at its installations in Ghana, Nigeria, Gambia and China and looked forward to engaging 30,000 youth in its assembly plant after the expansion of the project.

Mr Agambire said it was their plan that 2,500 of Persons With Disability would be assigned to schools to assist in teaching and repair works under the basic school computerisation project being implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Education.

He urged the graduands to be hardworking, creative and disciplined and to dream big to succeed.

Mr Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo, Greater Accra Regi
onal Minister commended Rlg for the initiative, saying that it would compliment government's efforts in providing the youth with jobs and contribute to socio-economic development.

Mr Agbo urged the graduants to show commitment in the success of the programme since it would help empower the youth to be business-oriented and provide decent livelihood to the youth.