The Deputy Chief Executive Officer in charge of Operations and Technical Affairs at the Petroleum Hub Development Corporation, Onasis Kobby Rosely, has restated the government’s commitment to equipping Ghanaian youth with the necessary skillsets and capacity for their survival and growth.

According to him, the government of President John Dramani Mahama has, as part of its youth empowerment agenda, initiated a number of policies and programmes aimed at equipping Ghanaian youth with the skills needed to thrive in the current job market.

Speaking at a skills workshop organised by the Women’s Commission of the Accra City Branch of the Tertiary Education Institutions Network (TEIN) which is the student and youth wing of the National Democratic Congress, Onasis Kobby noted that institutions such as the National Youth Authority and the Youth Employment Agency run special programmes that focus on supporting young Ghanaians determined to acquire valuable skills.

“His Excellency John Dramani Mahama is very focused and keen on giving skills to the youth of this country. Today, even if you have a full-time job, you should consider this as a side hustle that will not require eight hours a day to benefit from. Among your peers, you can be earning some money for your daily upkeep.

“I know you require kits for this job. The NYA has a programme dedicated to giving kits to people who have distinguished themselves in this area, so you can take advantage of it,” he said.

Recounting his experiences while living abroad, Onasis Kobby stressed the importance of skills development and urged the beneficiaries of the training to take full advantage of the programme and grow their craft.

He explained how learning a skill in barbering had proven to be a long-term, cost-effective mechanism and admonished the students to put into practice what they were taught.

Onasis Kobby also commended the Women’s Commission of the Accra City Campus branch of TEIN for initiating the programme and for their continuous commitment to supporting the youth.

“If you go out there to be trained, you will spend not less than 1,000 cedis on such training, but the leadership of WOCOM put up this initiative to give you free training. I am highly impressed and urge you all not to take this opportunity for granted,” he said.