Let’s Equip Our People With Employable Skills Enyiresi Akyempen Hene Advises Traditional Leaders As She Outdoors Foundation Today

Read Time: 3 minutes

The Akyempem Hene of Enyiresi, Mamfe Akuapem in the Eastern Region, Nana Yaa Nyarkoa I has advised traditional leaders in the country to undertake and promote skills training programmes that build the capacity of their people.

According to her the only way to enhance the living conditions of school dropouts and especially those in the rural communities without employable skills is to equip them with skills training that make them financially independent.

She gave the advice in an interview with this paper as part of preparations to launch the 4^th Anniversary of her enstoolment as Akyempem hene and also officially outdoor Nana Yaa Nyarkoa (NYN) Foundation today at Mamfe Akuapem.

Through her Foundation which provides vocational skills to her people and also recognizes and honours school prefects and those with outstanding academic skills, she wants other traditional leaders to also adopt certain initiatives to help their people overcome poverty and other challenges in society. 

She wants queen mothers and chiefs in the various traditional areas to be proactive and motivate their people to embrace development in their respective communities.

As part of her goal she encourages traditional leaders on how to use resources to better the lives of people through acquisition of skills and knowledge in management. She believes that if the principles of nation building are replicated in the rural areas, there could be massive development in the lives of all people in the villages just as in the cities.

The Akyempen Hene has also called on chiefs in Ghana to play a central role in traditional governance in communities.

“They have eyes on the social conditions of their communities. Chief’s wield social power and influence as they are regarded as custodians of the stool (throne). They have the authority to select the traditional authorities – the Chiefs and Queen mothers – as well as de-stool (dethrone) Chiefs if required”, she argues.

Nana Yaa Nyarkoa was enstooled the Akyempen Hene of Enyiresi, Mamfe Akuapem in 2017 and ever since numerous young people in the area have been equipped with skills that include Detergent and Bead making through the Nana Yaa Nyarkoa Vocational Series (School) which helps school drop outs in the area get employable skills and training start their own private ventures.

Through the NYN Foundation, some schools in the area have had their best performing pupils and students rewarded for their academic performance.

The foundation also does advocacy for the release of prison inmates who were or are wrongfully incarcerated and also see to their upkeep.   

The NYN foundation will be officially launched today and a number of activities have been lined up for it.

Nana Yaa Nyarkoa is the descendant of the late Okuapehene Ↄseadeεyᴐ Nana Addo Dankwa III and the Late Okuapehemea Nana Dokua II.

She is also a farmer and full-time Film Director and the Chief Executive Officer of ↃdehyeHouse Productions.

Currently, she is at the helm of the production of a television program dubbed “Giving Back to Society!” This program creates the platform to showcase peoples’ good deeds and seeks to identify societal issues that require help and link them to individuals, groups, churches and corporate bodies, who can address them. It seeks to strengthen beneficiaries of corporate social responsibility to learn to be independent and also contribute to National Development.