Don Bosco Solar and Renewable Energy Center program provides hands-on training through partnerships

(MissionNewswire) Don Bosco Solar and Renewable Energy Center, located in Ashaiman in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana, recently graduated 16 students as certified solar photovoltaic installers. The program works in collaboration with the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Ghana, the Jakob-Christian Adam Foundation, and the Association of Ghana Industries, according to a recent news article from Graphic Online.

The program lasts six months and includes practical, hands-on training that meets German dual standards, which require 70 percent practical training and 30 percent theory. The graduates, including three women, were presented with certificates at a graduation ceremony. These certificates enhance their ability to operate as advanced solar professionals, according to the article.

Ramona Simon, deputy head of development cooperation at the German Embassy in Ghana, spoke at the graduation. She commended the organizers of the training for investing in a sustainable and green future for Ghana. According to the article, she also expressed her happiness over the relationship between Ghana and Germany, which established the reform and investment partnership with a focus on renewable energy in October 2017.

In the article, Simon said, “The partnership is supporting the rebuilding of the foundations for a viable energy sector, thus enabling sustainable private sector participation and investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency for climate protection.”

Burkhardt Hellemann, head of the delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Ghana, also spoke at the graduation and underscored the importance of technical and vocational education. He stressed the importance of apprenticeships that provide standardization in practice across the country. Hellemann also hoped that these opportunities would help youth in the job market.

The article also highlighted two trainees, Eric Kwenor and Jemima Adongo, who both stressed that if Ghanian youth are given the opportunity to better their lives, they would take it. Kwenor appealed to employers to employ young men and women with valuable skills, instead of demanding years of experience. He said, “People do not gain experience if they are not given the exposure to explore the reality of whatever career path they choose or are pursuing.” Adongo urged young women not to restrict their abilities and encouraged them to venture into male-dominated fields.

While Ghana’s economy continues to improve, nearly 45 percent of the population lives on less than $1 a day, according to UNICEF. Rural poverty remains widespread in the dry savannah region that covers roughly two thirds of Ghana’s northern territory. Small-scale farms suffer from a lack of infrastructure and equipment, both of which are needed to shift from subsistence farming to more modern commercial farming which would yield greater incomes and a chance to escape poverty.

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Sources:

Photo courtesy of Don Bosco Youth Network West Africa Annual Report 2018

Graphic Online – 16 Certified solar photovoltaic installers graduate

Salesian Missions – Ghana

UNICEF – Ghana