The Minister of Trade, Agribusiness, and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Agyare, has cut the sod for the construction of an Integrated Industry Training, Entrepreneurship and Database Hub (ITAED-Hub).
The facility, which would serve as a centre for skills training for the automotive and manufacturing industries, would be hosted by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research's Institute for Industrial Research (CSIR-IIR) in collaboration with the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI).
Expected to be completed within 18 months, the centre would have departments for electric vehicles, smart engineering services, automotive engineering services, and an office complex.
When completed, the facility would be a one-stop shop for training in emerging automotive and mechatronics engineering technologies, computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), 3D Printing, and entrepreneurship skills.
The ITAED-Hub is also meant to provide world-class training that would promote youth employment and job creation in the country.
Project overview
In February 2022, CSIR and its partners, AGI and the Commission for Technical Vocational Education Training (CTVET), signed a contract for a grant of €3 million under the Skills Initiative for Africa (SIFA) funding window one, through the Africa Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), with support from KfW Development Bank, for the ITAED-Hub.
The project thrived on future-oriented skills development in the automotive and manufacturing industries; partnership with the AGI for direct industry-focused training content and job opportunities after training; and professional continuous learning programmes to enhance skills for the next generation. It also leverages specialised training of TVET trainers to conduct world-class training.
Government support
Mrs Ofosu-Agyare said the ITAED-HUB initiative was crucial to industrial growth and asked industries to open their floors for industrial attachments and hire its graduates.
"Let this hub become a living pipeline between education and employment. To Ghana's youth, this hub will offer something no certificate alone can give but the confidence that comes from building with your own hands, designing with your own mind, and solving real industrial problems," she said.
Mrs Ofosu-Agyare said automotive, mechatronics, and digital fabrication were the building blocks of the enterprises that would define the country's industrial future.
She, therefore, assured CSIR, AGI, CTVET, and the funding partners that the government remained fully committed to the policy reforms, regulatory alignment, and institutional support that the investment deserved.
"The ITAED-HUB is proof that when institutions align, partners believe, and governments act, we can build the infrastructure that converts a demographic youth into a demographic dividend," she said.
Progressive initiative
The Director-General of the CSIR, Prof. Paul Pinnock Bosu, described the project as a game changer in the quest to bridge the gap between industry and research institutions.
He said the initiative aligned with the vision of the government to make research and innovation key to national development.
He further said the project demonstrated that stronger collaboration between industry and research institutions could unlock the potential of research-driven interventions to address persistent development challenges.
For his part, the Director of CSIR-IIR, Dr Francis Boateng Agyenim, said the time had come for all stakeholders to work together to harness the potential of research and innovation for national development.
He said that when industry and research institutions worked together for strategic investment in innovations and research-oriented projects, the country would experience sustainable development.
Dr Agyenim gave the assurance that CSIR-IIR would continue to explore strategic partnerships with relevant industry players to unlock opportunities that were mutually beneficial to both sides.
