President John Mahama has expressed gratitude to Ghanaian workers for their dedication to the progress of the country.

According to him, the country recognizes the emense contribution and efforts they put in on a basis to ensure development of the country.

President Mahama took to Facebook to celebrate Ghanaian workers on May Day.

“Today is a special day for our gallant workers. On behalf of the people of Ghana, I celebrate your tireless efforts, dedication, and contributions to our progress as a country and people” he said.

This year’s May Day Celebration theme, “Striving for peace and stability to drive industrialisation, trade, and decent work for social justice,” reflects a critical truth—the need to implement policies to ensure sustainable development and the realisation of decent work and wages for all Ghanaians.

He said the John Mahama led administration recognises and deeply values the pivotal role of the Ghanaian worker in driving our national development agenda describing the Ghanaian workers as “the engine of our economy, the builders of our infrastructure, and the innovators who propel us forward”
Adding that “I am, therefore, committed to creating a supportive environment that allows you to thrive and help Reset Ghana” he assured.

President Mahama said his government will continue to pursue programmes and policies to stabilize the economy and promote industrialization

“Over the last four months, the government has been actively pursuing policies to stabilise the economy, promote industrialisation, focusing on adding value to our raw materials and creating new jobs in light industries, manufacturing and related sectors”

“We are also working to strengthen our trade relationships, both regionally and internationally, to open new markets for the export of Ghanaian goods and services by implementing various economic initiatives, including the 24-hour economy”

The President also assured of giving workers the enabling environment to thrive

“In furtherance of my 120-day social contract with the good people of Ghana, we remain dedicated to ensuring decent work for all Ghanaians. This means fair wages, safe working conditions, opportunities for training and skills development, and the protection of workers’ rights” he intimated

Only yesterday, the National Youth Authority launched the National Apprenticeship Programme, closely following the introduction of the Adwumawura and One Million Coders programmes, which are part of our strategic interventions to create opportunities for decent jobs.

Government is committed to strengthening our labour laws, enforcing occupational safety and health regulations, and promoting social dialogue between employers and employees.

Portions of the post read

“Of course, we recognise that inflation, unemployment, and inadequate infrastructure are challenges. But the government is determined to address these challenges head-on as we build Ghana together.

We are investing in education and skills training to equip our workforce with the necessary tools to succeed in a modern economy. We are working to improve our infrastructure, including roads and energy, to facilitate trade and economic growth.

Let us all, employers and employees, commit to fostering a spirit of collaboration, understanding, and mutual respect. Let us work together to create a more prosperous and equitable Ghana, where every citizen can contribute their talents and skills to national development.”

Government says it has allocated an amount of Three Hundred Million Ghana Cedis (GH¢300M) as seed money for the National Apprenticeship Programme.

President John Mahama who launched the Programme at the University for Development Studies (UDS) in Tamale on Wednesday, April 30,2025 said this is a testament of the government’s commitment to ensuring sustainability of the programme.

He further added that applicants will be given stipends, starter tool kids and certificates after their study.

In all the government is seeking to create over Ten Thousand Jobs this year with the Programme and enroll Five Hundred Thousand youth from next year.

About the National Apprenticeship Program (NAP)

The National Apprenticeship Program (NAP) is a strategic initiative under the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment, implemented in collaboration with the National Youth Authority (NYA). The program is designed to equip young Ghanaians with practical, hands-on skills through structured, industry-based training, with a focus on promoting employability, entrepreneurship, and self-reliance.

NAP provides opportunities for youth to learn directly from experienced master craftsmen and women across various trades, including tailoring, welding, hairdressing, carpentry, auto mechanics, and more. Participants benefit from practical training, monthly stipends, and apprenticeship support pack-ages-comprising tools and equipment-to help them transition into productive work or start their own businesses.

The program also incorporates competency-based training and nationally recognized certification to ensure quality and industry relevance. By supporting youth with critical skills and resources, NAP contributes to reducing unemployment and accelerating inclusive economic growth.

The National Apprenticeship Program is a key pillar in Ghana’s youth empowerment agenda-transforming potential into productivity, and talent into opportunity.

President John Mahama has taken a swipe at the previous administration for initiating programmes without proper funding for it.

According to him, the Adwumawura programme will not be one of such kinds. President Mahama made the remarks when he launched the Adwumawura programme in the Ashanti Regional capital on Monday, April 28, 2025.

The Adwumawura programme is yet another of his campaign promise, to create sustainable jobs for the Ghanaian youth. Adwumawura programme will not a mirage like theirs – Pres. Mahama stings

President John Mahama has taken a swipe at the previous administration for initiating programmes without proper funding for it.
According to him, the Adwumawura programme will not be one of such kinds. President Mahama made the remarks when he launched the Adwumawura programme in the Ashanti Regional capital on Monday, April 28, 2025. The Adwumawura programme is yet another of his campaign promise, to create sustainable jobs for the Ghanaian youth.

The initiative is expected to incubate 10,000 new businesses and accelerate existing ones for the youth and is estimated to create 20,000 jobs annually.

It seeks to stimulate youth employment, entrepreneurship, and innovation across strategic sectors of the economy.

The initiative would provide business development training, access to funding, coaching and mentorship, technological support and access to machinery and equipment, access to market and facilitation, and around the clock business advisory services.

“This programmed is not like the others that were announced in the recent past with fanfare but proved to be mirages without adequate funding to sustain them. Adwumawura is fully funded with adequate allocation provided in the 2025 budget,” he assured.

Beneficiaries are expected to apply online with a neutral body put in place to vet the applications to select successful applicants based on scalability, sustainability and potential for job creation.

Areas for support are agribusiness, garments and clothing, fashion designing, engineering, catering, and cosmetics, amongst others.
The initiative is expected to incubate 10,000 new businesses and accelerate existing ones for the youth and is estimated to create 20,000 jobs annually.

It seeks to stimulate youth employment, entrepreneurship, and innovation across strategic sectors of the economy.

The initiative would provide business development training, access to funding, coaching and mentorship, technological support and access to machinery and equipment, access to market and facilitation, and around the clock business advisory services.

“This programmed is not like the others that were announced in the recent past with fanfare but proved to be mirages without adequate funding to sustain them. Adwumawura is fully funded with adequate allocation provided in the 2025 budget,” he assured.

Beneficiaries are expected to apply online with a neutral body put in place to vet the applications to select successful applicants based on scalability, sustainability and potential for job creation.

Areas for support are agribusiness, garments and clothing, fashion designing, engineering, catering, and cosmetics, amongst others.
Launching the programme here in the Ashanti Regional capital, Kumasi, yesterday, President Mahama described the initiative as an ambitious undertaken necessary to secure a prosperous and a resilient future for the youth.

President Mahama emphasized that the programme is designed to be inclusive, youth-led and Ghanaian-owned regardless of educational background or any other consideration.

He announced that in line with his government’s commitment to inclusivity and equity, at least 60 per cent of beneficiaries would be drawn from women and girls, persons living with disability, rural and vulnerable population, unemployed and underemployed youth and other marginalised and underserved groups.

“Through this programme, we aim to significantly reduce Ghana’s youth unemployment rate and contribute meaningfully to reducing the global needs indicator.”

To further bolster market access, President Mahama said an annual national Adwumawura trade avd exhibition is to be instituted for beneficiary company’s to showcase their creativity, innovation, product and services.

“To the youth of Ghana, the Adwumawura programme is your platform, your opportunity to create, build and lead. Let your dreams take flight and let your innovations find expression,” he charged and called on all stakeholders to support the programme for a successful outcome.

Mr George Opare-Addo, the minister for Youth Development and Empowerment on his part said his outfit would work hard to make the programme a success to create the needed jobs for the teeming unemployed youth.

He called on the youth to take advantage of the initiative to become employers rather than job seekers.

President John Dramani Mahama has charged the youth in Ghana to take advantage of the One Coders Programme to transform the future of Ghana’s technology workforce and the economy.
President Mahama described the initiative as a foundation for a new economy driven by innovation and digital solutions and called on the youth to embrace it in order to change the narrative of technology importation.

He made the remarks at the launch of the programme at the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.

“Let us not underestimate what this represents for our country. We are changing the national narrative from one of limitations to one of limitless potential. From a country that consumes imported technologies to a country that creates its own. From young people waiting for jobs to young people creating jobs. This is how to build a resilient and future-ready country, Ghana. To the youth of Ghana, I say this programme is for you” he said.

President Mahama urged the youth to passionately own the programme and make it count.

“Take it and own it. Let this be your launchpad into innovation, entrepreneurship and global relevance. Let this be the bridge between your dreams and the opportunities of the digital age” he admonished.

Meanwhile, Minister for Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George disclosed that over ninety thousand 90,000 young Ghanaians have applied for the program exceeding the minimum number of applications for the first phase training.

“Mr. President, we planned to do the pilot with 260 students, but within the first four hours of announcing, we had over 4,000 applications. We decided to do a double track, and do 520.
As of this morning, about 30 minutes ago, the number of applications we have received is 91,847 applications. This speaks to the visionary nature of your plan and vision, to transform our digital ecosystem” he said.

According to the Minister, the initial courses for the pilot include, Certified Cyber Security Professional, Certified Network Support Technician, Certified Data Protection Manager, Certified Data Protection Expert, Certified Data Protection Officer, Certified Data Protection Professional, and Data Analyst Associate.
Meanwhile government says it will integrate digital literacy and coding into the country’s university and technical schools’ curricular.

This it says aims making digital education not just a short term initiative but a permanent strategic part of our educational system.

President John Mahama has underscored the need for the country to embrace digital transformation which he says underpins the country’s recovery.

President Mahama who fulfilled yet another of his 2024 campaign promise by launching the One Million Coders Programme said the programme is an investment in the youth and the future of the country.

Speaking at the launch of the programme at the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT on Wednesday, April 16, 2025 President Mahama urged the youth especially to embrace the initiative to as they seek to create employment avenues for themselves.

“This programme is an investment in our youth, an investment in their future as coders, as analysts, as entrepreneurs and as tech pioneers. When I asked for your mandate to serve once more as President, I made a promise that our national recovery will be people-centred, innovation-led and future-focused. And that recovery begins by breaking down the barriers that hold us back, social, economic and digital” he intimated.

He added that the barriers to Ghana’s recovery will be broken with the coming on stream of the One Million Coders Programme.
“Today, we begin breaking down those barriers. Over the next four years, the One Million Coders programme will train one million Ghanaians in essential digital skills, from coding and cybersecurity to data analytics and networking. These are not just technical abilities, they are economic passports, pathways to decent jobs, entrepreneurship and long-term social, economic inclusion” he said

President John Mahama highlighted the strides nations that embraced coding early enough have made and the need for Ghana to embrace same.
“We do not walk this path alone. Across the globe, nations that recognize the power of coding early have positioned themselves for extraordinary progress.

Take Estonia for example. In 2012, Estonia became one of the first countries in the world to introduce coding as a compulsory subject as low as primary schools. Today, Estonia is a global leader in digital governance and innovation, with one of the world’s most digitally integrated societies. In the United Kingdom, since 2014, children as young as five have been learning basic programming” he explained.

The event was attended by key stakeholders including telecommunication giants, the MTN Group, Telesel Ghana, Csquared, Google, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, the ALX, Tony Blair Institute, and several other partners who have expressed willingness to support the initiative.

The African Development Bank is to lend capital support to businesses under the Kwahu Business Forum.

This is according to Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah who has indicated that the initiative is to assist private sector led growth and development. The initiative will further aid indigenous businesses to maximize their full potential to produce and export products to the international markets.

At a Press briefing at the Presidency on Monday, April 14,2025 Chief of Staff Julius Debrah indicated that the President places premium on the Kwahu Business Forum.

“We are talking about it at the Presidency because of the importance the President attaches to it. It’s a project that he wants to see succeed” he stressed.

He said indigenous banks have pledged to support the initiative with capital for Small and Medium Scale Enterprises. This he said will be translated in the annual roll out of the programme.

“At least each of the banks that will show up, is going to pick five (5) bankable projects for this year and we expect that next year when we return to Kwahu they will invite those five they assisted to come and testify.
If this continues for the next 5-years. Each bank picking a minimum of five (5) enterprises to support, I am sure by the end of his 4-year tenure, we will have over 600 enterprises that we can pinpoint that these are businesses that President Mahama started” he indicated.

“The African Development Bank has also shown an interest and so they are going to be there. Their country representative will be present to explain to private sector participants some of the things they will be able to do for them” he said

The 2025 Kwahu Business Forum is scheduled to take place on April 19-20, 2025, at the Mpraeso Social Centre.

The Kwahu Business Forum is an initiative by President John Mahama to create and support SMEs across the country especially those into agro processing and manufacturing.

President John Mahama on Saturday launched the Feed Ghana Programme (FGP) to make the country food secure and create sustainable jobs in the agriculture value chain.

Under the broader Agriculture for Economic Transformation Agenda, the FGP is the strategic umbrella initiative under which all agricultural projects and interventions of the government would be executed.

Anchored around nine thematic areas, the FGP targets strategies to increase food production, promote modernized farming practices, strengthen infrastructure, and create agro-industrial zones across the country.

The areas include the establishment of farmers’ service centres nationwide to provide mechanization services, grains and legumes, vegetable, poultry, livestock, and tree crop development projects, agro-production enclave infrastructure, and innovative agricultural financing.

The programme is intended to prioritize commodities that are critical to food security, import substitution, industrial development, and export growth.

These priority commodities include grains and legumes like maize, rice, soybean, and sorghum, vegetables; tomato, onion, and pepper, starchy crops; cassava, plantain and yam, industrial crops; cocoa, mango, oil palm, cotton, coconut, rubber, cashew, shea; poultry and livestocks; cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs.

Launching the Programme here in the Bono East regional capital, Techiman, President Mahama said agriculture held the key to turn around Ghana’s economic fortunes if all citizens put their shoulders to the wheel.

He noted that despite many years of efforts to modernize the country’s agriculture sector to increase productivity, it has been unsuccessful primarily due to limited adoption of improved technologies, inadequate extension services, poor market linkages, low value addition, and weak infrastructure.

This, he said, has left citizens reeling under high cost of food as a result of reliance on imports which stood at US$2 billion annually; a situation he said was unacceptable.

“This situation calls for a bold and deliberate reset of our agricultural sector. It requires a collective, all-hands-on-deck approach. The time has come for us to treat agriculture not as a development footnote but as the engine of national economic transformation as we have always claimed,” he stated.

Ghana, President Mahama said, has what it takes to be food sustainable including richly endowed fertile land, abundant water resources, ample sunshine, a youthful population and strong research institutions and technical expertise.

“The challenge lies in translating this potential into sustainable agricultural growth that feeds our people, supports industry, creates jobs, and boosts rural incomes,” he noted.

He estimated that with investments in hatcheries, quality feed production, veterinary services, and processing, support for 50 anchor farmers this year under the ‘nkoko nketenkete’ initiative to produce four million birds, which would translate into 10,000 metric tonnes of chicken, the importation of chicken to the tune of US$300 million would be reduced drastically.

Under the grains and legumes development cluster, the President said input supply systems would be strengthened to ensure access to high-quality seeds, fertilizers, and agrochemicals whilst
through controlled-environment farming, including greenhouse technology, vegetable production would be boosted.

President Mahama noted that financing remained a key barriers to agricultural investment in the country and to address this, the Exim Bank would be refocused to offer concessional loans to farmers and agri-enterprises, particularly those involved in exports and value addition.

He said apart from individual farmers across the country, institutions like schools, the Prison Service and religious bodies, would be targeted and provided with farm inputs like fertilizers and other implements as well as households.

Already, he said the Ghana Prisons Service, the National Service Authority, the Youth Employment Agency, University of Ghana and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology signed unto the programme.

Courting the support of all stakeholders for the FGP, President Mahama acknowledged that “the task ahead is monumental, but with unity of purpose and collective effort, we will succeed. Let us put our shoulders to the wheel. We are ready to engage in frank, open dialogue with all stakeholders to chart a sustainable path for Ghana’s agricultural transformation that ensures food and prosperity for all Ghanaians.”