The Australian High Commissioner to Ghana, Gregory Andrews, has inaugurated a Youth Development Centre in Sunyani to offer employable skills training to young people in Sunyani and Sunyani West Municipalities.
The centre, funded by the Australian government through its Direct Aid Programme, is in line with an “Integrated Sewing Project” being implemented by the Sunyani Youth Development Association (SYDA) to support vulnerable people and groups to acquire employable skills.
This is to create an industrial hub, as part of the Association’s 14-module training programme to build the entrepreneurial capacities of school drop-outs, teenage mothers, people with disabilities and street children.
According to Mr Andrews, the Australian government is determined to support Ghana to address challenges of youth unemployment, alcoholism and drug addiction as well as irregular migration.
He said funding for the centre was mobilised through taxes from Australia. he adviced the Association to manage the facility well to achieve desirable results.
Mr Andrews earlier paid a courtesy call on the Sunyani Traditional Council.
The President of SYDA, Atta Akoto commended the Commission for the assistance and also disclosed that the Integrated Sewing Project has planned to offer employable skills training to 200 young people within three years.
Founded in 2015, the SYDA works to facilitate the development of Sunyani and contribute to the nation`s effort to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
