Ghana seeks Polish support to tackle youth unemployment through TVET reforms

Ghana is seeking stronger educational cooperation with Poland, with a particular focus on technical and vocational education, scholarships and skills development as part of efforts to address youth unemployment.

The Deputy Minister for Education made the proposal during a meeting with a Polish government delegation, where he identified Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as a key area for collaboration between the two countries.

He said Ghana would welcome Polish expertise in developing technical education curricula, training instructors, strengthening technical universities and creating apprenticeship opportunities for students.

“TVET reform is central to our response to youth unemployment,” he stated.
The Deputy Minister also proposed increased master’s and doctoral scholarship opportunities for Ghanaian students in Poland, alongside reciprocal opportunities for Polish students to study in Ghana.

He called for semester exchanges, dual-degree programmes and partnerships between universities in both countries to promote academic mobility and strengthen institutional collaboration.

Among the proposed partnerships is a collaboration between Poland’s AGH University of Kraków and Ghana’s University of Mines and Technology in mining and resource management, as well as between the Warsaw University of Life Sciences and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in agriculture and food systems.

On science and technology, he proposed joint research in renewable energy, agricultural technology and information and communication technology, as well as mathematics and science teacher training.

He further highlighted Ghana’s growing higher education sector, describing the country as a regional educational hub with institutions that attract students from across West Africa.

According to him, Ghana’s English-speaking environment, growing student population and research opportunities in agriculture, public health and mining position the country as an attractive partner for Polish educational institutions.

The Deputy Minister also acknowledged Poland’s experience in technical education, scientific research and educational reforms, expressing Ghana’s interest in learning from its development.

He noted that Poland could offer technical expertise, access to European funding opportunities and industry connections, while Ghana could provide research opportunities, access to West African institutions and a growing pool of students.

“Few investments travel as far as education. A scholarship agreed today can become a friendship that lasts a lifetime, and a partnership between two universities can outlive any one of us,” he said.

To translate the proposed cooperation into concrete outcomes, the Deputy Minister outlined four immediate steps, including the drafting of a bilateral education Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the appointment of focal persons in both ministries and the identification of priority university and TVET partnerships.

He also proposed an early joint workshop to explore opportunities under the European Union’s Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe programmes.