GIFEC trains 1,720 artisans in ICT, entrepreneurship

The Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) has trained 1,720 artisans across the country as part efforts to build the capacity of formal and informal sector actors with information and communications technology (ICT) skills.

The training was conducted in 43 centres across eight regions to boost their entrepreneurial skills to make them ready and competitive in the fourth industrial revolution.

Beneficiaries were from the Northern, North East, Upper West, Ahafo, Bono East, Bono, Ashanti, and Eastern regions.

GIFEC said the training was in line with the government's digitalisation agenda, which among other things, sought to empower citizens in both the formal and the informal sectors of the economy through the provision of requisite digital skills.

The artisans, including dressmakers, carpenters, hairdressers, auto mechanics, cobblers and caterers were provided with hands-on digital entrepreneurial skills to improve their economic well-being. 

Rare opportunity

A Deputy Administrator of GIFEC, Eva Andoh-Poku, at the last programme to close this year’s session at Nkawkaw in the Eastern Region, entreated the trainees to capitalise on the skills acquired through the rare opportunity given to them “to enhance your businesses, employability and your lives in general in order to enjoy the economic benefits of the use of ICT”.

She added: “The artisanal training has come to stay and GIFEC is set to replicate same in the remaining eight regions”.

Mrs Andoh-Poku also pledged the continuous support of GIFEC to all the trainees well after the training session, saying it was the organisation’s legal mandate to bridge the ICT gap and marginally reduce the digital deficit of the citizenry.

The Head of Human Resources at the Municipal Office of the Ghana Education Service, Joseph Ekpe, congratulated the participants and enjoined them to harness the opportunity given them to enhance their lives.

I can relate better

One of the beneficiaries, Michael Abrokwa, who retails coconut, said the training had helped him relate better with customers and that he had been able to brand his business to attract more customers.

A trader, Esther Kessiwaa, thanked GIFEC for the opportunity which had equipped her to send emails, work with Excel and that she could now advertise her small business on social media.

GIFEC’s ICT Capacity Building Programme seeks to provide the citizenry with requisite knowledge and skills to effectively optimise the use of ICT equipment and ultimately make them function effectively.