More than 52,000 unemployed young people in Ghana’s Central Region are set to benefit from a government-backed free apprenticeship programme, designed to address the growing challenge of youth unemployment.

The initiative, launched under President John Dramani Mahama’s 2024 campaign commitments, aims to equip participants with practical skills in trades such as tailoring, hairdressing, carpentry, mechanics, and other vocational fields.

Deputy Acting Chief Executive of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), Adongo Atule Jacob, urged beneficiaries to take the opportunity seriously, emphasizing that the government is removing traditional financial barriers to skills training.

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“As part of this programme, apprentices will receive free tools, equipment, and meals, so they can focus entirely on their training without worrying about costs,” he explained.

Central Regional Coordinator of the scheme, Emmanuel Abeiku Essien, confirmed to GHOne News’ Yaw Boagyan that all 23 districts of the region are participating in the rollout. He revealed that 1,150 trainees have been selected for the first batch, with 250 trainers chosen from a pool of 6,000 applicants.

Mr Essien added that the programme will run annually to ensure sustainability and create a lasting impact on unemployment in the region.

Both officials encouraged participants to fully commit to the initiative, describing it as a critical step toward reducing the country’s unemployment burden.

Meanwhile, watch the trailer to GhanaWeb’s upcoming documentary on teenage girls and how fish is stealing their futures below: