The Rural Enterprises Project, a poverty alleviation project has provided assorted working tools to 28 graduate apprentices at Nadowli to help them improve their livelihood.
The tools are to enable the apprentices to establish viable small scale economic ventures in their communities to increase incomes and also
provide employment for the youth.
The Government of Ghana, International Fund for Agricultural Development, and the African Development Bank contributed a total of GH¢8,000 towards the Project. The Nadowli District Assembly also provided GH¢2,000 for the purchase of the equipment.
The tools included sewing and hairdressing machines, motor mechanic and electrical and gas welding equipment, leather and spraying equipment.
Presenting the items to the trainees, Mr Abu K. Kansan Bata, District Chief Executive for Nadowli appealed to the beneficiaries to make good use of the tools and not abandoned them.
He said it would be useless and most unfortunate if after the huge investment made in their training, they were unable to utilize the skills to better their lots and for the benefit of others.
Mr Kansangbata, however, noted that government's efforts to equip the youth with employable skills would not yield positive results if the products produced by graduate apprentices were not patronise by locally.
He appealed to government to provide avenues outside the local market for graduate apprentices to market their products while the local people were also encouraged to patronize made in Ghana goods to help sustain small
scale businesses.
He said the district assembly had set up a monitoring mechanism to ensure that beneficiaries of the start-up kits use them for the purpose for
which they were provided.
Mr Kansangbata said the assembly would not hesitate to collect the items back from any beneficiary, who would fail to use the items for the intended purpose.
Mr Samuel Kwakye, Officer responsible for Monitoring and Evaluation at the offices of the Project in Tamale said the Nadowli District was among the 53 districts benefiting from the second phase of the project in the country.
He said the project focused on capacity building for beneficiaries through business management training, employable skills training and technology promotion and technical skill training programmes.