UE/R: SOCO PROJECT FACILITATORS URGED TO WORK HARD FOR THE SUCCESS OF THE PROJECT – DCE NABDAM
By – Prosper Adankai
For six days in Bolgatanga, a classroom became the launchpad for a new generation of entrepreneurs. Young people gathered not simply to learn how to install satellite television systems, but to acquire the business knowledge, technical expertise, and entrepreneurial confidence needed to transform those skills into sustainable enterprises.
That vision lies at the heart of GrowAfrica For Me’s SkillBuilders Program – Satellite Installation Cohort, an initiative designed to address youth unemployment by combining Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) with entrepreneurship. Through the organization’s Skills-to-Enterprise (S2E) Model, participants are equipped with market-relevant technical skills while developing the mindset and practical business competencies required to establish and grow successful enterprises.
The one-week programme, held from 20th to 25th July 2026, attracted strong interest from aspiring entrepreneurs across the region. Out of 58 applications, 33 participants were selected through a rigorous screening process, with 24 completing the programme and graduating with practical skills in satellite installation and business management.
Unlike conventional vocational programmes that focus exclusively on technical instruction, GrowAfrica For Me’s approach integrates enterprise development into every stage of learning. Participants completed modules in entrepreneurship and small business start-up, financial literacy and record keeping, marketing, branding and sales management, and business development and market access before progressing to intensive practical training in Multi TV and DStv satellite installation, system configuration, maintenance, and troubleshooting.
The result is a programme that prepares participants not only to perform technical work but also to build businesses capable of generating income, creating jobs, and contributing to local economic development. For participant Georgina Akariyanebire, the programme fundamentally changed her outlook.
“This training has completely changed the way I see business and my future. I have gained practical knowledge in financial literacy, bookkeeping, branding, packaging, and installing both Multi TV and DStv systems. I now understand the importance of separating personal and business finances, and I am inspired to establish my own satellite installation business while empowering others by sharing the skills I have acquired.”
Her reflection illustrates the practical impact of GrowAfrica For Me’s integrated training model. By combining technical instruction with entrepreneurship education, the programme equips participants with the confidence to move beyond employment and begin building enterprises of their own.
That transformation was echoed by Adda Jeffrey, another graduate of the programme.
“The SkillBuilders Program has equipped me with practical skills in entrepreneurship, small business management, financial literacy, bookkeeping, marketing, customer service, and hands-on Multi TV and DStv installation. I am now confident and prepared to start my own satellite installation business and build a sustainable livelihood.”
Stories like these reflect GrowAfrica For Me’s broader mission of empowering youth, women, persons with disabilities, informal traders, and smallholder farmers through practical skills development and enterprise support. Rather than treating vocational education as an endpoint, the organization views technical skills as the foundation upon which sustainable businesses can be built.
The programme’s impact extends well beyond the 24 graduates. Every participant committed to training at least one other person free of charge, creating opportunities for skills transfer within their communities and expanding the programme’s reach beyond the classroom. It is projects the creation of 24 or more new enterprises and employment opportunities as graduates establish their own satellite installation businesses.
This work was made possible through collaboration with Little Drops Academy, Richmanda Hotel, Young Dreams Enterprise, and Seek God First, whose partnership strengthened the delivery of both the entrepreneurship and technical components of the programme.
As GrowAfrica For Me continues to expand its Skills-to-Enterprise Model across Northern Ghana, the Satellite Installation Cohort demonstrates what can be achieved when technical education is intentionally linked to entrepreneurship. By equipping young people with both practical skills and business knowledge, the organization is nurturing entrepreneurs who are prepared to build sustainable businesses, create employment, and contribute to inclusive economic growth in their communities.
For the 24 graduates who walked away with certificates at the end of the programme, the real achievement is not the qualification itself. It is the opportunity to transform newly acquired skills into thriving satellite installation businesses that can support their families, strengthen local economies, and inspire the next generation of young entrepreneurs.
Source – gbcuraonline.com
