Kloma Gbi, a Krobo-based youth advocacy network, has held the fourth edition of its ‘Taking Them Along’ (TtA) career mentorship programme for basic schools, extending the initiative to Asesewa in the Upper Manya Krobo District.

The programme, held on Friday, November 28, 2025, was designed to inspire basic school pupils and provide career guidance, while also sensitising them on Gender-Based Violence (GBV). It was organised in collaboration with key stakeholders, including the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Upper Manya Krobo District Assembly (UMKDA).

Clad in their professional uniforms and work gear, about 80 Kloma Gbi members drawn from diverse fields — including law, education, medicine, entrepreneurship, security services, agriculture, IT, communication, engineering, hospitality and the armed forces — engaged pupils in interactive sessions. Grouped by profession, they explained their career paths, the demands and challenges of their work, and the opportunities available, while responding to questions from students to help shape informed career choices.

A total of ten basic schools participated in the programme, made up of eight public and two private institutions. These included Akateng D/A JHS, Asesewa Nasrudin Basic School, Adensu D/A JHS, Akohia Anglican JHS, Sontriso Methodist JHS, Fefe D/A JHS, Dawa Korlewa Basic School, and Asesewa Roman Catholic JHS. The two private schools were Lamb of God International School and Charlene Crossley International School.

About 30 students from Asesewa Senior High School attended the programme as observers.

Since its inception in 2016, the TtA initiative has benefited 22 basic schools across the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality, Yilo Krobo Municipality, and the Upper Manya Krobo District. Each edition sees participating schools and pupils receive teaching and learning materials such as books, graph boards, refillable markers, mathematical sets, and branded souvenirs, including vacuum flasks.

In her welcome address, the Director of Education for the Upper Manya Krobo District, Ms Evelyn Tawiah Nyanu, described the TtA programme as more than just an event, calling it a rare opportunity to inspire learners and strengthen collaboration between her directorate and Kloma Gbi.

She commended the Network for initiatives such as the TtA programme and the OWiM project, through which Kloma Gbi constructed and handed over a modern classroom block to Kpong Presbyterian Junior High School in 2018.

“… I see a strong and rare commitment to community advancement and youth empowerment, which is commendable,” she said.

Ms Nyanu encouraged the pupils to apply the lessons from the programme as a foundation for a brighter and more purposeful future. She also appealed to Kloma Gbi to consider hosting the next edition in the Sekesua–Nsutapong area of the district, which she noted has many basic schools in need of similar exposure.

The District Chief Executive for Upper Manya Krobo, Hon. Emmanuel Kwesi Lawer, who was the Special Guest of Honour, urged the learners to take their studies seriously to achieve their career ambitions and the objectives of the TtA initiative.

The programme was chaired by the Headmaster of Asesewa Senior High School, Mr Reiss Paul Akoto.

About Kloma Gbi

Kloma Gbi is an apolitical community advocacy network established to serve as a strong and effective voice for the Klo (Krobo) state.

Initially active on social media from 2010, the Network has grown into a formidable group of like-minded young men and women committed to community development. Kloma Gbi seeks to be a recognised, vocal and representative platform for the Klo community, working closely with traditional authorities, public and private institutions, voluntary organisations and residents in the collective interest of the Klo state.