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04.04.2004 Regional News

Department of Community Development seeking support for Nsoatre WTI

04.04.2004 LISTEN
By GNA

Nsoatre (B/A), April 5, GNA - Mr Issah Ayanaba, acting Director of the Department of Community Development in Accra, said the Department was making efforts to ensure that the government released 80 million cedis to support the Nsoatre Women's Training Institute (WTI).

He said the Department had also received 350 computers from Technology Ghana, a U.K. non-governmental organisation (NGO), for distribution to all WTIs in the country.

These were contained in an address read for the acting Director by Mr Joe Asakayarigo of the Department, at the first graduation ceremony of the Institute at Nsoatre on Friday.

Mr Ayanaba announced that the Department had provided infrastructure for WTIs at Bolgatanga, Tarkwa, Takoradi and Nsoatre, under the European Union (EU) micro-project.

He appealed to the Brong-Ahafo Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) to assist the graduands to acquire loans to enable them set up their own businesses.

Mr S.K. Hodze, Regional Director of the department, said the division needed more support to enable it intensify its efforts in national development.

Mrs Mary Yeboah, Headmistress, said the Institute, which was jointly established by the Department and Nsoatre Traditional Council in 1999 with 25 students, now had 85 students.

She said the Nsoatre WTI offers a three-year course in Dressmaking, Catering, Hairdressing, Home Management, English, Computer studies leading to the award of the National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI) Grades II and I.

Mrs Yeboah commended the NGO for providing the computers and the Valco Fund for donating teaching equipment worth 30 million cedis to the Institute.

She appealed to philanthropists, organisations and the Sunyani Municipal Assembly to assist the Institute to build more classrooms, dinning hall and kitchen, Headmistress quarters and to acquire a vehicle to facilitate teaching and learning.

Nana Kwadwo Seinti, Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister, advised parents to enrol their daughters in the Institute to enable them to acquire employable skills.

Following a complaint by the acting Director that some students of WTIs in the country could not pay their computer user fees, the Regional Minister promised to donate 1.7 million cedis being one term's computer user fees of all the students at the Nsoatre WTI.

Nana Seinti advised the people, especially the youth, to abstain from sexual promiscuity to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

The Institute mounted a show depicting kaba styles, morning and evening wears and wedding gowns.

Mr Kwadwo Adjei-Darko, Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, inspected the show and commissioned a computer centre for the Institute.

Nana Ampaabeng Kyeremeh, Krontihene and acting president of Nsoatre Traditional Council, urged the graduands to be good ambassadors of the Institute by being law abiding and contributing meaningfully to national development.

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