The DSIP is a three-year project being implemented by the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET), in collaboration with the Wa Municipal Education Directorate, with sponsorship from the African Development Bank.

Hajia Hamidu Fusata, the Wa Municipal Education Director, at the graduation ceremony, said the Project targeted both students and apprentices in the formal and informal sectors of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

It aims at increasing the learning opportunities for needy students and apprentices with emphasis on females. Hajia Fusata said the Project had, so far, supported 1,550 students from 10 technical institutions and four polytechnics nationwide as well as 2,500 apprentices in 38 assemblies including Wa and Jirapa municipalities in the Upper West Region.

“TVET is one area that should be given the highest priority attention. It is not an exaggeration to state that our economic prosperity as a nation depends on it,” Hajia Fusata said. “However, it is only possible if there is a total and sustained commitment by all stakeholders to achieve the goal,” she said and called on society to put bigger premium on TVET and discard the misconception that it was meant for “school drop-outs.”

Alhaji Issahaku Tahiru Moomin, the Wa Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), commended the graduates and urged them to use the skills acquired to improve on their lives and those of their families.He expressed appreciation to the Master Crafts Persons for successfully  guiding their various apprentices through the training.

The MCE, however, appealed to them to put in their best to ensure value for money.