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CIDA invests in rural entrepreneurship
project for polytechnics
Tamale, Feb 19, GNA - The Canadian International Development
Agency (CIDA) is to spend over 2.5 million Canadian dollars
in the next five years, on the Development of Rural
Entrepreneurship Project (DREP) for the Polytechnics in the
three Northern regions.
Primarily, the Government of Canada through the CIDA, would
fund the project, while the Ghanaian partner institutions
would provide a total of 357.7 thousand Canadian dollars in
the form of logistics, personnel and office accommodation.
As a component of the project and with the facilitation of
the Nova Scotia Agriculture College (NSAC) in Canada, 25
entrepreneurship educators and five master educators, who
received their training from the university, were on Monday,
awarded certificates at a graduation ceremony at the Tamale
Polytechnic.
The graduands, included students from the Wa Polytechnic in
the Upper West Region and the Bolgatanga Polytechnic in the
Upper East Region.
Dr. Steven Russelle, Project Director of the DREP, said the
goal of the project was to increase access to and
availability of demand-driven, appropriate and relevant
entrepreneurship support for women and men in the three
Northern Regions.
Dr. Russelle expressed the hope that the project would
enhance the ability of the beneficiaries to start
micro-enterprises and small businesses that would contribute
to their empowerment.
Addressing the graduands, Mr. Kwame Amopfo-Twumasi, Deputy
Minister of Education, Science and Sports, recommended that
entrepreneurship curriculum should be developed as a common
component for all polytechnics.
He said the Polytechnics should be seen as training the
individual for industry and self-employment and should
therefore combine scholarship with entrepreneurship.
He said the vision of regional based polytechnics was to
challenge the institutions to fill the manpower gaps in
industry and commerce in the country and in the respective
regions.
"This requires the creation of wealth, by undertaking
research and development and creating economic spin-offs and
employment and helping to reduce poverty".
He said it was in this light that the government had
designed policies that would promote entrepreneurial mindset
to handle risks, improve the flow of finance, as well as
develop appropriate regulatory and administrative framework
to encourage the creation of small-scale enterprises.
Mr. Ampofo-Twumasi observed that although there was
unemployment in the system it was also equally true that
some specific jobs were in short demand.
"There are quite a number of job openings, which have not
been utilised because of lack of entrepreneurial knowledge
and expertise," he said.
The Deputy Minister said rural entrepreneurship was a potent
force in the development of the rural areas, adding that
entrepreneurship education was one way this could be done.
Alhaji Yakubu Seidu Peligah, Principal of the Tamale
Polytechnic, said the DREP was supporting the government's
poverty reduction strategy by targeting women and the youth
in the development of the private sector through the
enhancement of the capacity of training institutions and
community based organisations.
He expressed the hope that the project would help train and
produce many "job creators" and not "job seekers' from the
polytechnics.
GNA
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