Hairdressers appeal for PSI

Sunyani (B/A), July 9, GNA - Mr. Johnson Baffo Appiah, Chairman of Sunyani Municipal Branch of Ghana National Tailors and Dressmakers Association (GNTDA) has appealed to the Government to absorb young graduands of members of the Association into the President's Special Initiatives (PSI) to help them establish their own workshops after completing their pprenticeship training.

Mr. Appiah made the appeal in a welcoming address at the sixth graduation ceremony of the Association for 109 graduands - 20 of them males - at the Sunyani Civic Centre on Friday.

He noted that the Association was contributing in no small way in the development of the nation, considering the low cost levied on these trainees.

"Yearly, we turn out considerable number of middle level manpower but most of them fail to establish their own businesses due to financial constraints", Mr. Appiah stressed.

He disagreed with the way some parents and guardians gave greater financial support to their children who chose to further academic education at the expense of those learning trade.

At times the minute amount of money to keep such apprentices or young learners going even becomes a problem, he emphasized, adding that such apprentices were left to their own fate, "hence many of them, especially the female are compelled to turn their attention on prostitution and other unwanted practices."

Mr. Appiah announced that his outfit was working hand-in-hand with the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) to rope or absorb members of the Association into the SSNIT's pension scheme under the informal sector organization.

He announced that the Association also had links with ADRA, USAID Ghana and other non-governmental agencies in the training of peer Aids Educators who move from workshop to workshop to educate their peers on the need to abstain from pre-marital sex in order not to contract the deadly disease HIV/AIDS which would ruin their future life.

Mr. Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, Deputy Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister congratulated the graduates and reminded them that tailoring and dressmaking played a vital role in the socio-economic life of society. Mr. Baffour-Awuah however, advised them to be guarded by innovation, creativity and any other ingredient that could let them win the trust and confidence of their customers as self-employed as that would be the only way they could be relied upon to sustain their individual businesses.

Dr. David A. Opare, Sunyani Municipal Director of Health Services gave health a talk on sexually transmitted diseases with special reference on clinical features of gonorrhoea or 'white' in males and females, why the sudden increase of the disease in Sunyani of late, and suggested abstinence or the use of condom to avoid contracting any of such transmittable diseases.

Later, speaking with Ghana News Agency in an interview, Mr. Appiah said the successful graduands took part in the 2004 examination organised by the Association with practical aspect in measurement of Kaba and Slit dresses.

Certificates were presented to the graduands with some of them getting Grades, A, B and C according to their performance in the examination.