The project, which was part of the Adamus Resources skills and livelihood empowerment initiative, was to offer hands-on skills for females in the district to live more independent lives.

The initiative would also discourage many mothers, particularly the youth in the area, from engaging in illegal mining activities in the district.

They were trained in cosmetology and all aspects of beauty therapy, soap and bead making, among many others.

At the graduation ceremony, all 88 trainees were presented with startup kits to enable them to set up, earn income and impact their communities. 

Speaking at the ceremony, the Chief Executive of Adamus Resources, Angela List, said the courses, chosen carefully to enable the participants earn a living, were designed for 100 young women but only 88 made it to the end.

According to her, the area has a lot of businesses, such as Adamus and other companies as well as the hospitality industry, which provided a ready market for most of their products.

The training programmes, she said, were designed specifically to meet the modern needs of the communities, adding, “As a company, we use a lot of cleaning detergents and liquid soaps and all these are sourced from outside our host communities.

Therefore, with the training, our company will source from the trainees.”

Sustainable skills

The General Manager of Adamus Resources, Alexander Mensah, said the gesture was in line with the organisation’s sustainable skills development programme.  

He said in most cases, young people were ready to acquire skills.

However, after training, they looked elsewhere because they were unable to afford the items needed to enable them to set up.

“With the training in product formation, the company will source the product directly from those we have trained and provided tools to start.

We will buy our liquid soaps from the trainees to make them viable,” he said.

 “In recent times, the company has built the capacity of 20-selected community members in mine-related skills.

Some have successfully completed while others are yet to,” he added.

The Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, commended the beneficiaries for taking advantage of the opportunity to enter the world of business.

The Member of Parliament for Ellembelle, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, said the extractive industry had a life span.

Therefore, developments such as these created the enabling environment for young people or the host communities to venture into the world of business.

The Ellembelle District Chief Executive, Kwesi Bonzoh, said the community was grateful to the companies for their continued support for skills development.

He urged the graduates to put their skills to use and create the needed impact for the benefit of all.