AngloGold Ashanti Equips Master Craftmen with Tools to Train Youth

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AngloGold Ashanti has demonstrated its commitment to youth empowerment, as outlined in its 10-year Socio-economic Development Plan (SEDP), by donating tools and equipment to 10 master craftsmen (beauticians and hairdressers) to train 19 youth apprentices from Sanso, a mining community in Obuasi in the Ashanti Region..

Dubbed the ‘Sanso Apprenticeship to Entrepreneurship (A2E) Project’, the initiative seeks to support unemployed youth in Sanso with the required tools and on-the-job apprenticeship training with master craftsmen for a period of 8-12 months.

The master craftsmen will also receive technical training and entrepreneurship training to enhance their teaching skills. The beneficiaries, on the other hand, will receive entrepreneurship training alongside NVTI certificate examination.

According to Daniel Arthur-Bentum, Economic Development Superintendent of AngloGold Ashanti, Obuasi Mine, the decision to roll out the Sanso A2E project was influenced by the outcome of an engagement between AGA and the people of Sanso. The majority of Sanso’s youth expressed interest in learning a trade but lacked adequate resources to enroll.

He stated that the project aims to equip the youth in the community with the requisite skills to make them self-sufficient. A well-thought-out exit plan has been put in place, where, after completing their training, AngloGold Ashanti will provide beneficiaries with start-up kits to launch their careers.

Hon. Justice Ofori Amanfo, Assembly member for the Sanso electoral area, commended AngloGold Ashanti for its resolve to empower the youth in the area with employable skills.

Alice Twumasi, a hairdresser, said the Sanso Apprenticeship to Entrepreneurship (A2E) Project is the right approach to addressing youth unemployment in the area. She advised the beneficiaries to leverage the project to become economically independent.

The Sanso (A2E) Project is part of AngloGold Ashanti’s youth empowerment strategies, included in the 10-Year Social and Economic Development Plan (SEDP), aimed at contributing to building resilient and socio-economically self-sustaining communities in Obuasi. The project targets creating jobs and improving the livelihoods of youth within the Sanso community.