The Artisans Association of Ghana (AAG), a non- profit making organisation with a current membership of over 30,000, including youth and women, has marked its 10th Anniversary in Kumasi. The theme for the celebration was:”Artisans – the Backbone of the Economy.”
The three-day celebration saw its members embark on a heath walk, training workshop, award night and a grand durbar.
Nana Boakye Yam Ababio, Nwantakesehene, who was the Guest Speaker, advised the union members to unite and form cooperatives to seek financial assistance from the government to expand their businesses and help the economy grow.
Nana Boakye, who was appointed the Life Patron, pledged his commitment to ensuring the growth of the Association.
Dr. Nana Offei Ammanor, Chief Executive Officer of Abotare Clinic in Kumasi, who deputised for Nana Opare Kwafo I, a Kingmaker of Aburi, as Chairman, advised the artisans to be ambassadors of the Association and ensure that the structures and systems were made to work.
The President of the Association, Mr. Gideon Yao Bidor, announced that the Association had trained 28,000 youth and 9,000 electricians, as well as 3,000 welders and machine operators, for free between 2015 and 2022.
Mr. Bidor announced that the Association planned to build a training center to train more people in the county to meet international standards. He further disclosed that the major challenge facing the Association borderd on financial capability.
Meanwhile, Mr. Thomas Macjulius Agyekum has appealed to parents to help their children to learn a vocation as a way to move the nation forward through industrialisation.
