A Humble Appeal For Technical And Vocational Training Programmes

The Sirigu Women's Organisation for Pottery and Art (SWOPA) in the Kassena-Nankana West District has urged government to involve it in its technical and vocational training programmes for students.

Madam Melanie Kassise, the founder of SWOPA, who made the appeal in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), stated that products such as baskets, canvas, paintings, pottery, hat and smocks were in high demand on the national and international markets which could create employment and help generate foreign exchange for the country.

SWOPA which was formed in the area in 1997 in the Upper East Region had over the years offered training to over 2000 girls and women in traditional arts including; wall and canvas painting, pottery-making, basket weaving and batik, tie and dye, leather works among others.

The facility which also serves as tourist site and has unique paintings, artefacts among others has a Guest house made up of bars, restaurant and rooms. A lot of foreign tourists and personalities including the late Ghanaian-born international diplomat Kofi Annan and other foreign Ambassadors have visited the centre before.

She said she was looking forward for more support from the government and other development partners for the centre to help train more of the youth in the communities in the region and beyond.

'This will not only help complement the efforts of the government of achieving her dream of making many youth to learn technical and vocational skills, but will also help preserve our African culture which is on the verge of extinction', she emphasised.

The founder explained that she was inspired by her mother, a traditional potter who sold her work to cater for her education up to the University level.

'SWOPA has since grown into a fundamental organisation in the Sirigu community and beyond, providing a place for people particularly women to receive training to develop their skills and to sell their products to help improve on their livelihoods', she added.

Madam Bridget Akasise, the Director of SWOPA, explained that it was committed to improving the incomes and the livelihoods of the women, their families and the community at large.

She indicated that among the aims of SWOPA was to preserve and develop the traditional culture of the people and to provide tourist services and produce in high quality art that had its roots not only in the village culture of people in the area but the region as a whole.

She stated that women, particularly in rural areas faced lots of difficulties in finding employment and generating income than men leading to unpaid family work and low income self-employment activities.

She, therefore, reiterated the need for support to help train more women in marketable skills to empower them economically.

'The struggle of women earning income has been recognised in the region and SWOPA was created as an organisation to help foster greater financial stability for more people, especially women and their families.

' SWOPA in the past with funding support from other development partners such as the Skills Development Fund, Business Sector Advocacy Centre Fund (BUSAC), Speed Ghana, the Danish Embassy has over the years offered various skills to many women who are now doing well economically, but there is the need to train more of the women who lack the skills to make good living ', she added.