Ghana is pushing to harmonize its scattered technical and vocational education training (TVET) programs to create a more effective skills development system.
Dr. Eric Kofi Adzroe, Director-General of the Ghana TVET Service (GTVETS), emphasized the need to consolidate donor-funded initiatives, warning that the current lack of coordination leads to wasted resources and uneven standards.
With 264 TVET institutions operating under different curricula, industry leaders and policymakers have raised concerns about duplicated efforts and mismatched skills training. Dr. Adzroe stressed that a unified approach would align education with labor market demands, improve accreditation, and strengthen partnerships between government agencies, training providers, and private employers. “A disjointed TVET landscape leads to inefficiencies,” he said. “By harmonizing interventions, we can build a transparent, responsive ecosystem that meets both learner and industry needs.”
Key international partners, including GIZ, Mastercard Foundation, and the British Council, have been urged to support the standardization effort. Dr. Adzroe highlighted Mastercard’s Precision Quality (PQ) initiative as a model program that should be integrated into broader vocational training. He also pointed to the British Council’s VET Toolbox, which trained 250 young women in male-dominated fields like agribusiness, as an example of successful but isolated interventions that would benefit from a coordinated framework.
Efforts to formalize Ghana’s informal skills sector are also underway, with master craftsmen receiving structured curricula to ensure consistency. Dr. Adzroe called for better dissemination of research findings to help young graduates apply their skills effectively, whether in employment or entrepreneurship.
Ghana’s push for TVET reform reflects a growing recognition that economic growth depends on a skilled workforce trained under a cohesive, industry-aligned system.
