Mfantseman MP Urges All Youth to Seize Apprenticeship Opportunity

The Member of Parliament for Mfantseman Constituency, Dr Prince Kojo Arhin, has called on young people across the constituency to apply for the National Apprenticeship Programme (NAP) without hesitation, stressing that the scheme belongs to every eligible youth regardless of political affiliation.

Dr Arhin made the remarks on Friday during a presentation of tool kits and starter items to apprentice beneficiaries and mastercraft persons at Mankessim Ansah Park in the Central Region. The Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Eric Stanley Acquah, joined him at the event.

“Whether you are New Patriotic Party (NPP), Convention People’s Party (CPP), Progressive People’s Party (PPP), whatever political party you belong to, the fact that you are an eligible voter and youth of Mfantseman Constituency, it is not politically coloured,” Dr Arhin said, urging applicants not to require a party card to benefit.

The Central Regional Coordinator for the programme under the National Youth Authority (NYA), Mr Ebenezer Abieku Essien, disclosed that 1,250 youth and 252 mastercraft persons in the region are enrolled in the pilot phase. He noted that the programme spans 111 skill areas, though roughly 90 percent of current participants have opted for garment making and hairdressing. Each apprentice will receive free insurance cover and a monthly stipend of 300 Ghana cedis toward food and transport.

The NAP was launched nationally in 2025 with an initial enrolment of 10,000 beneficiaries, supported by a GH¢300 million allocation in the 2025 national budget. The government has targeted scaling the programme to 100,000 beneficiaries annually by 2026.

Dr Arhin also reaffirmed his commitment to honouring campaign pledges made during the 2024 elections and urged current beneficiaries to treat the training as a serious livelihood investment.