As part of efforts to break down gender barriers and bridge gender disparities in the society, the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Foundation (OOTIIF) has sponsored the training of 5,000 women for male-dominated occupations.
The women were given vocational and technological skills to position them for jobs in these areas which are traditionally dedicated to men.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Opemsuo Radio’s Mr Black, Otumfuo Hiahene and Board Chair of Otumfuo Foundation, Nana Prof. Oheneba Boachie-Adjei Woahene said the initiative is part of efforts to create jobs in the country.
“Now we also have embarked on job creation programmes as support for over 5,000 marginalised women in the areas that are non-traditional for women such as vocation, technology, operation of heavy equipment and heavy duty vehicles and plumbing… as part of their job training and hopefully, they will get employment in these areas which were traditionally reserved for men.”
These women, he said, are now able to operate heavy machinery like articulators, wheel loaders and heavy equipment.
The Foundation also has a Youth Apprenticeship Training Programme where youth within the age bracket of 17- 24 years are equipped with vocational trainings in 16 skill areas to increase entrepreneurship in the country and fight the growing unemployment rate- a vision dear to the heart of the King of the Asante Kingdom, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
Since its institution, Oheneba noted, 600 youth have benefitted from training in plumbing, painting, masonry and electrical.
Health
The impact of the foundation has not been felt only in the job creation but also areas of health, water and sanitation.
The foundation together with the JOBerg Foundation recently handed over an extension of the Manhyia Hospital Maternity ward to the hospital.
Nana Hiahene said countless rural areas have also been provided with clean water through the construction of boreholes. The success has come through collaborations with World Vision, Guinness Ghana and Societe Generale Ghana.
This, he indicated, had gone a long way to facilitate and improve sanitation and health conditions of beneficiaries.
Education
In the field of education, Nana Hiahene enumerated some running educational projects of the Foundation including the establishment of AI labs, distribution of learning materials, construction of infrastructures, the Otumfuo Mobile Learning Program, the Otumfuo Community Reading Challenge as well as the provision of educational scholarships.
He said close to 26,000 students have been offered scholarships to undertake courses in local and international institutions.
“This was basically from basic to tertiary students in local and international institutions. Since the inception of the free SHS, we have shifted to supporting tertiary education especially in the area of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). We currently have over 25 students going through medical school programmes in the country plus others in Engineering, Law, Economics and Mathematics.”
“With the support of the World Bank, Otumfuo was able to garner about $4 million to build 40 six-classroom block and teachers bungalows. This was in the early 2000s. Since then, we’ve also continued to support other infrastructural developments with the most current one being the 600-bed girls dormitory at Sefwi Wiawso. We have requests from St Louis and Osei Kyeretwie for infrastructural support which we are considering and hopefully we will be able to embark upon.
“We’ve given millions of students textbooks, desks, uniforms and other paraphernalia to support their early education. We have also instituted reading challenge programme for Junior High Schools as well as the Otumfuo Mobile Learning Program which takes education to rural areas to basically help students in ICT and literacy. It also help farmers with best practices in farming.”
He said a second AI lab after the first which was commissioned in Sefwi Wiawso will be inaugurated at Kona on May 2, 2024.
Future
The aspiration of the Foundation for the years to come lies in what it calls “Endowment Fund”.
Speaking about this objective, Nana Hiahene said the yet-to-be-established fund will create more hope for the needy and deprived communities as it is envisioned to hold thousands of millions of cedis to improve the lives of people.
“The interest of which can support all our programmes: our basic education, grants for tuition, infrastructure, health promotion, health materials and supplies. This Endowment Fund which we seek to launch during this anniversary will bring enormous support.”
Meanwhile he called on all institutions, corporate bodies and individuals to support the vision of the King in improving lives of the deprived and underprivileged.
“The King started this programme 25 years ago and we are all benefitting. The future lies before us and we believe that just as we started, we continue to scale it up by helping many more people. The foundation has become the go-to organisation at Manhyia in Asanteman for people who are seeking support in these areas of education and health but all these come with financial support so we are pleading with our generous donors, all our benefactors and all and sundry to support the foundations to achieve its lofty goals.”
Source: Manhyia Palace
