Kpandai MP supports 200 apprentices with start-up equipment

About 200 apprentices in the Kpandai District of the Northern Region have received start-up equipment after completing vocational skills training under the 2025 cohort.

The beneficiaries, who trained in trades such as hairdressing and dressmaking, received items including hairdryers and sewing machines to help them establish their businesses.

Presenting the items, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kpandai, Matthew Nyindam, said the support formed part of the MP’s “One Graduating Apprentice, One Sewing Machine or Hairdryer” initiative aimed at promoting youth employment and reducing rural-urban migration.

He explained that the equipment was procured from his share of the District Assemblies Common Fund.

Mr Nyindam said many graduates in rural communities were unable to begin work after training due to the lack of tools and financial support needed to establish themselves.

The MP said the initiative was first introduced during his initial tenure in Parliament in 2013 and continued until 2020 before being revived in 2024 following his re-election.

According to him, apprentices under the 2025 cohort also received GH¢200 each, adding that the amount had been increased to GH¢300 this year and would rise to GH¢500 by 2028.

“Today, we take a further step by presenting each beneficiary with either a sewing machine or a hairdryer. We have about 200 beneficiaries and every one of them will receive their equipment,” he stated.

Mr Nyindam said the initiative was intended to promote self-reliance, restore dignity, and stimulate local economic growth through vocational and technical skills development.

He added that empowering young people with employable skills and equipment would create self-employment opportunities and enable beneficiaries to train others in the future.

The MP appealed to non-governmental organisations, individuals, and other agencies to support the initiative financially, explaining that it was currently funded solely from his share of the common fund.

Some beneficiaries commended the MP for the intervention, describing it as timely support that would help them start work and become financially independent.