Govt must assist culinary industry - EKGS Director

Director of EKGS Culinary Institute, Efua Otuwaa Goode, is appealing to government to support the culinary industry because it can unlock the potential Ghanaian youths.

The Director of the private culinary training school made the call at the 34^th graduation of the institute at the National Theatre in Accra last Saturday.

“I plead with the government to make a conscious effort to extend credit to players in the industry for them to expand their facilities to be able to train more youth to prepare them for the job market,” she said.

Efua Otuwaa Goode notes that government has extended support to the agric, education and sanitation sectors, and it was about time a similar support was given the culinary industry.

“I think it is time [government] turned its attention to the culinary sector and saw it as one area with great potential to not only reduce unemployment among the youth but also bolster the national economy,” she said.

She adds that “every practitioner in the sector pays tax and so if facilities are expanded and more people enter the sector, the national kitty will be the ultimate beneficiary. Moreover, the ripple effect will be far-reaching, as families and communities stand to benefit in no small way.”

Efua Otuwaa Goode’s institute runs a comprehensive training package with tuition that cuts across courses such as Cake Making and Decorating with Sugar Art as well as foreign courses in Pastry Art, Cookery Art, Floral, Balloon and Ribbon Décor.

EKGS Culinary Institute has been in existence for 17 wonderful years, with an average of 90 to 100 people graduating every six months.

“The training we offer at EKGS is holistic, as it prepares graduates of the school for every position in the culinary industry. Besides, we offer both theoretical and practical training, with emphasis on practical, since that is where the whole thins lies,” she said.