MTN Ghana Foundation has commissioned the Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Project (YEEP) at Nsawam which saw 50 beneficiaries graduate with certificates in mobile phone repairs.

The project which was a partnership between the MTN Ghana Foundation and Plan International aimed at empowering young people with employable skills needed to help reduce youth employment rates in the Nsawam area.

Experts in mobile phone repairs were engaged to train the youth in introduction to mobile phone technology, basic customer service, front end repairs, repair and rectification of faults of mobile phones. They were also trained on how to maintain a safe and secure work environment.

At the end of the training programme, the beneficiaries comprising 36 young men and 14 women were each provided with equipment and kiosks to start their own mobile phone repair ventures within Nsawam and its environs.

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, a board member of the MTN Ghana Foundation Mrs. Nabilla Williams said “Despite the good intentions of the government and the private sector, youth unemployment is a major source of concern.

This is why this project is really important and timely.The training and equipping of these youth to engage in mobile phone repairs is certainly a fantastic project which we all have to embrace.

She said “Based on this, the MTN Ghana Foundation has committed GHc445,000 to support the training of 100 young women and men in Nsawam and Suhum. The first 50 beneficiaries are passing out today with skills in mobile phone repairs.”

On her part, the IT Manager of Plan International, Madam Maud Tsagli, expressed her gratitude to MTN Ghana Foundation for accepting to partner them to implement the project. She said “equipping the youth with entrepreneurial skills and employment aims at fulfilling the SDG goal 8.”

The Municipal Chief Executive for Nsawam Adoagyiri Municipal Assembly, Hon. Isaac Kwadjo Buabeng who was the special guest of honor thanked MTN Ghana Foundation for coming on board to empower the youth in his municipality.

He also encouraged the beneficiaries to put the skills and knowledge acquired to good use by not only seeing it as a source of income avenue but as an avenue to create employment for others in their various communities.

The representative who spoke on behalf of the beneficiaries expressed their profound gratitude to MTN Ghana Foundation for coming to their aid with such novel training.

Since the inception of the MTN Ghana Foundation in 2007, the Foundation has implemented over 154 major projects in areas of health, education and economic empowerment at a total cost of USD 15million. These projects are estimated to have impacted over 4 million people.