The Adenta Municipal Chief Imam, Sheikh Mohammed Mutawakil has held a forum for the youth in Adenta Municipality on the need to acquire a skill.
The forum was part of the activities marking the World Youth Skills Day 2024, which is held on July 15 every year and has been earmarked by the United Nations to empower the youth in skills training.
It was also in line with the Adenta Chief Imam’s commitment to empower and develop the youth through skills training and entrepreneurship.
The forum was aimed at equipping the Muslim youth in Adenta to engage in productive activities especially skills training in order for them to create decent jobs for themselves and to desist from activities that will put them into trouble.
The well attended and colorful event was held at the Center for Crowns of Light and was under theme; ‘Youth Skills for Peace and Development.’
The UN World Youth Skills Day is a global recognition of the critical importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship.
The forum brought together youth and individuals of various skills to participate in the well attended forum.
Resources persons from the Ghana Prison Service, the Ghana TVET Service and Islamic Scholars among others had the opportunity to educate and bring hope to the teeming youth who are into skills training and encourage those with no skills to enroll in any form of skill training.
The Northern Regional Coordinator of Ghana TVET Voucher Project, Ibrahim Yusif Osman outlined some opportunities his office is granting to the youth who are already into skills training to enroll and upgrade themselves in their various professions for certificates.
He urged the youth to tap into TVET programmes adding that the Ghana Job And Skill Training Apprenticeship Programme is an area that will help the idle youth to venture in to learn a skill and become self-employed.
Engineer Adam Issah, Manager Civil Maintenance and Electrical Services Premises Division of the Electricity Company Ghana (ECG) urged the youth to join the Youth in Innovation And Electrical Engineering as there are opportunities at the company’s training centre.
He said the ECG has a lot of courses that are offered at the training school such as solar energy, electromechanical energy air conditioner and electrical installation, maintenance, solar panels, battery, transformer and general power system.
The courses, he said are for WASSCE, diploma and degree certificate holders who are trained to bring all hands on deck to enhance growth and innovation, stressing that there are centres in some parts of the country and as well as the ECG website that one can apply and enroll.
The National Imam of the Ghana Prison Service, Imam ADP Mohammed Mukhtar Adam expressed concerned over the high number of the productive youth of Ghana in prison for various offenses and urged the youth to desist from things that could lead to their incarceration.
He called on the youth to take advantage of the opportunity that this year’s World Youth Skills Day forum has brought to them by applying for Tvet programme.
He said there would be less hope in the future of the country if the youth, who are the future leaders, spend the better part of their lives in prison.
In his address, the Municipal Chief Imam, Sheikh Mohammed Mutawakil stated that the development of youth skills is not just an option but a necessity.
According to him the development of youth skills is not just an option: it is a necessity adding that technology and globalization continue to reshape the societies and the skills imparted into the young people determine their future and the future of the communities.
The youth he said are the backbone of any nation and therefore possess the energy, creativity, and potential to drive change and progress.
He said, to harness the potential in the youth, it is imperative that young people are provided with the necessary tools and opportunities.
He said the future of the communities and the world lies in the hands of the youth and therefore it is the responsibility of all to nurture their talents, support their dreams, and equip them with the skills they need to succeed.
He urged all stakeholders to work together to create a brighter, more prosperous future for the youth.
Speaking on peace ahead of the upcoming elections, the Adenta Municipal Imam stated that peace is the bedrock on which every other issue is dependent upon for survival hence it is important for all to contribute to the protection and development of peace the country is currently enjoying.
Islam he said means peace and therefore called on Muslim youth to be the ambassadors of peace in the country adding that the Zongos are often tagged as violent zones in the country.
He noted that the time has come for all Muslims to change the narrative by ensuring that they are not used for violent activities by anyone for whatever reason.
He said can one can achieve almost everything without violence but by using available legal avenues such as community leadership, government agencies, and a reasonable public pressure whenever necessary.
“Let peace lead the way in our religious differences, our families, our communities, and in our politics. There’s no substitute to peace, so let’s cherish it jealously” he noted.
Source: Muhammed Faisal Mustapha
