Ghana's Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has directed the country's technical and vocational education body to overhaul its training curriculum, demanding the integration of digital literacy, green technology, and entrepreneurial skills into all programmes under the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system.
The minister made the call on Wednesday, 17th June 2026, during the commissioning of a newly constructed 48-bed girls' dormitory at St. Paul Technical Institute in Kukurantumi, Eastern Region.
A Direct Mandate to CTVET
Iddrisu directed the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET) to audit existing training programmes and align them with current industry demands and technological shifts. His message was pointed and specific.
"Renew and revise your curriculum accordingly to incorporate digital literacy, green technology and sustainable policies into the TVET curriculum; if it already exists, enhance or elevate it for these young ones." β Haruna Iddrisu, Minister for Education
The minister framed the reforms as essential to Ghana's broader industrialisation agenda, arguing that graduates must be prepared not just for employment, but for innovation and emerging industries. The rapid transformation of the global economy, he noted, leaves no room for outdated training models.
As the demand for tech-aligned skills continues to rise across Africa, Ghana's push to modernise TVET signals a recognition that vocational education must evolve beyond traditional trades.
Girls' Dormitory Targets Gender Gap in Technical Education
Beyond curriculum reform, the commissioning event highlighted a parallel effort to address infrastructure gaps that have historically kept girls out of technical schools. The Director-General of the Ghana TVET Service, Dr. Eric Kofi Adzroe, described the new dormitory as a timely investment in female access to technical training.
"This facility represents a practical and timely investment in expanding access to technical and vocational education and training, particularly for female trainees. It reflects our collective commitment to improving learning conditions, training inclusion and ensuring that opportunities in TVET are not limited by circumstances." β Dr. Eric Kofi Adzroe, Director-General, Ghana TVET Service
Dr. Adzroe noted that expanding accommodation capacity is expected to directly encourage more girls to enrol in TVET programmes while helping close persistent gender disparities within the sector.
German Government Backs the Investment
The dormitory project received direct support from the German Government, reflecting a longstanding bilateral partnership focused on skills development and technical education in Ghana.
Chantel Lahmer, Policy Advisor and Portfolio Coordinator for Development Cooperation at the German Embassy in Ghana, represented the German Ambassador at the ceremony. She stressed that the facility was a deliberate move to dismantle the structural barriers preventing girls from accessing technical education.
Lahmer emphasised that investing in girls' education is critical to building an inclusive workforce capable of driving sustainable economic growth β a message that aligned with the broader tone of the event.
Infrastructure and Reform Working Together
Stakeholders at the Kukurantumi ceremony described the dual focus β new infrastructure alongside curriculum modernisation β as essential to producing a skilled workforce fit for Ghana's evolving economy. Expanding beds and boarding facilities increases enrolment potential, but without updated training content, that enrolment does not translate into industry-ready graduates.
The push to embed digital skills and green technology into vocational training mirrors similar moves by governments across sub-Saharan Africa, where technical education systems are under pressure to keep pace with rapid economic and technological change. Ghana's reform drive stands out for its explicit targeting of entrepreneurship and sustainability β areas that are increasingly central to youth employment strategies continent-wide.
Whether CTVET moves quickly enough to implement the minister's directives will determine how soon Ghana's TVET graduates begin entering the labour market with the skills both government and industry are calling for.