Mrs Akosua Newman (2nd right), Director of Operations at the Office of the First Lady, with some of the beneficiaries during the presentation. Behind Mrs Newman is Ms Effie Hackman, an official at the Office of the First Lady.

First Lady donates tools to artisans

Gender Desk Report Apr - 01 - 2021 , 09:32

The First Lady, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, has presented working tools to some selected artisans at her Ridge Office in Accra.

The working tools are to assist the artisans to enhance their service delivery in their respective technical and vocational endeavours to improve their economic well-being.

The tools, which included sewing machines and other dressmaking equipment and hairdressing tools were presented to the beneficiaries by the Director of Operations at the First Ladies office, Mrs Akosua Newman.

God-given talents

In a brief remark, Mrs Newman said as a principal technical, vocational, educational and training (TVET) Ambassador, Mrs Akufo-Addo recognised that apart from the fact that technical and vocational expertise was at the heart of every nation’s development, it had also always served as a conduit for many to unearth and develop their God-given skills, which they subsequently applied to make a living.

She said the First Lady was working hard with her colleague TVET ambassadors to change the negative perception about TVET and to help increase enrolment in technical and vocational institutions in order to inspire world-class excellence in skills development and introduce the youth to a variety of skilled careers.

Beneficiaries of the donation who were made up of tailors, dressmakers and hairdressers expressed their profound gratitude to the First Lady for her donation stating that her assistance had put them on the right footing to enhance their service delivery and product quality to compete with similar imported products and services, thereby securing their incomes.

TVET Ambassadors

In September, 2020, Mrs Akufo-Addo together with some media personalities and entrepreneurs, including Kwame Sefa Kayi, Ms Belinda Addardey, popularly known as Bella Mundi, Okyeame Kwame and the founder and Chief Executive Officer of McDan Group of Companies, Mr Daniel McKorley, among others, were appointed TVET ambassadors to execute activities which would make TVET attractive to the youth.