Spouses of military personnel undergo skills training
Over 5,000 spouses and dependents of personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) and Defence Civilian Staff who participated in an eight-week skills training programme organised by the Military High Command have graduated.
The skills training, which also included female uniformed personnel of the GAF and sister security services such as the Police, Prisons, Fire Service, Immigration and the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, was aimed at equipping the women with skills that would enable them to support their husbands during their active service time and on retirement.
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The training was organised in all the seven garrisons of the GAF and participants were taught how to make confectionaries, selected food dishes, beads, soap, flower arrangements, juices, preservatives, fascinators, make-up and ice cream.
They were also taken through lessons on home management and women empowerment seminars; entrepreneurship, bridal fans, hair and body pomades as well as education on marketing skills including branding and packaging.
The wife of the Vice-President , Samira Bawumia; the Chief of the Defence Staff, Vice Admiral Seth Amoama; service chiefs of the GAF, officers of the GAF and the spouses of the trainees were present at the closing ceremony of the command skills training and graduation for the trainees.
In her address, Mrs Bawumia commended the Military High Command and Vice-Admiral Amoama for initiating the programme and also for involving the spouses of other sister security services, adding that she had no doubt that great stories would come out of the training.
She pointed out that over the years, progress had been made in improving the quality of life of women but there was more to be done in that regard.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Enterprises Agency, Kosi Yankey-Ayeh, commended the women and the young people for willingly availing themselves to go through the training and stressed that it was her hope that the skills acquired would provide them with an aptitude to identify business opportunities, self-esteem, knowledge and skills to act on them.
How the training started
In his speech, Vice- Admiral Amoama said since assuming office, he had been thinking of ways to improve the livlihood of personnel and other supporting staff and their families in and around the barracks and upon careful consideration and discussions with the Military High Command, the idea of training the spouses of personnel to acquire some trade skills came up.
Describing the skills training as a success, he said the projected 4,000 participants was exceeded and pointed out that although the training was originally earmarked for women, some men participated in it including some retired defence civilian staff.
“We in the Ghana Armed Forces are happy for what we have achieved together to bring this huge skills to our spouses. This is in line with the government’s agenda for jobs creation. We pray the participants use the acquired skills to develop and improve their livelihood,” he said.