Launch of the Call for Proposals
for Large Skills Development Investment Projects in Ghana

On April 4, 2019, the call for proposals for large skills development investment projects proposed by domestic training entities in partnership with companies in Ghana under the SIFA project was launched in Accra under the distinguished patronage of the Deputy Minister of Education, Hon. Gifty Twum Ampofo, in the presence of HE the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr. Christoph Retzlaff and the Head of Skills and Employment for Youth Programme of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), Mrs. Fati N’Zi Hassane. This call for proposals is for grants under Funding Window I of the SIFA Financing Facility. Successful projects under this Window will receive a grant of up to EUR 3 million. Grantees will be required to make a counterpart contribution of at least 10% of the total project cost.

Background

The Skills Initiative for Africa (SIFA) is an initiative of the African Union Commission (AUC) supported by the German Government to strengthen occupational prospects of young people, women and vulnerable groups in Africa. SIFA responds in part to the African Union’s Agenda 2063 that calls for a paradigm shift towards transformative education and training systems to meet the knowledge, competencies, skills, research, innovation and creativity required to nurture the future. To unleash the potential of skills development and technical and vocational education and training (TVET), the African Union has developed a “Continental TVET Strategy” that provides a comprehensive framework for skills development and youth employment.

Under the SIFA project, a Financing Facility for Skills Development has been established. The Facility is implemented by the AUDA-NEPAD, with financing from Germany through KfW. The Financing Facility is designed to coherently address the common challenges of skills development in Africa by upscaling and/or disseminating local best practices and supporting innovative and sustainable approaches and thereby foster the employment and entrepreneurship of youth, women and vulnerable groups. For now, the participating (pilot) countries under the SIFA Financing Facility are Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Togo and Tunisia.

Current situation of technical and vocational education and training in Ghana

The skills development ecosystem in Ghana is characterized by TVET providers and institutions which operate under various ministries and organizations.

Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is receiving serious attention in Ghana from the government and numerous public and private TVET institutions. There are three types of TVET providers in Ghana:

- Public TVET institutions

- Lay Private TVET institutions

- Faith-based and civil society TVET institutions

Even though TVET is considered as an opportunity to improve the professional skills of young people, the sector faces numerous challenges, including mismatch between training content and the needs of the labour market, inadequate learning infrastructure, training equipment and materials, insufficient number of qualified teachers, and the inability of the job market to absorb all the trainees. Furthermore, the economy of the country, characterized by a massive importation of goods, doesn’t favour the emergence and growth of local industries and businesses. The consequence of this situation is the lack of job opportunities, and the high unemployment rate of TVET graduates. The SIFA Financing Facility is designed to address the challenges of quality TVET provision and youth unemployment.

The Financing Facility for Skills Development provides funding on a competitive basis for the implementation of innovative and sustainable skills development initiatives. It is for initiatives, which directly engage the private sector, address market needs, and can have a regional impact. Initiatives must align with national strategies with the perspective of improving quality-based employment-oriented skills development.

Objective of the workshop

The objective of the workshop is to launch Funding Window I of SIFA Financing Facility in Ghana.

WINDOW I:

Large skills development investment projects proposed by national training entities in partnership with companies.

WINDOW II:
Skills development investment projects proposed by International private sector entities in collaboration with national skills training entities.

WINDOW III: Innovative skills promotion pilot projects proposed by national training entities in partnership with public or private companies.