{"id":123016,"date":"2026-03-13T21:38:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-14T00:38:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automotive.einnews.com\/article\/899275221"},"modified":"2026-03-13T21:38:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T00:38:19","slug":"ghana-and-japan-open-automotive-skills-pathway-for-youth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/03\/13\/ghana-and-japan-open-automotive-skills-pathway-for-youth\/","title":{"rendered":"Ghana and Japan Open Automotive Skills Pathway for Youth"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!-- image --><\/p>\n<div class=\"td-post-featured-image\">\n<figure><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsghana.com.gh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ghana\u2013Japan-Auto-Connect-programme-scaled.webp\" data-caption=\"Ghana\u2013japan Auto Connect Programme\"><img data-opt-id=758893364  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/mlmjbqro95r8.i.optimole.com\/cb:bOxR.6a5\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.newsghana.com.gh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ghana–Japan-Auto-Connect-programme-696x522.webp?ssl=1&w=75&resize=75&ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/mlmjbqro95r8.i.optimole.com\/cb:bOxR.6a5\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.newsghana.com.gh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ghana–Japan-Auto-Connect-programme-696x522.webp?ssl=1&w=100&resize=100&ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/mlmjbqro95r8.i.optimole.com\/cb:bOxR.6a5\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.newsghana.com.gh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ghana–Japan-Auto-Connect-programme-696x522.webp?ssl=1&w=150&resize=150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/mlmjbqro95r8.i.optimole.com\/cb:bOxR.6a5\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.newsghana.com.gh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ghana–Japan-Auto-Connect-programme-696x522.webp?ssl=1&w=240&resize=240&ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/mlmjbqro95r8.i.optimole.com\/cb:bOxR.6a5\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.newsghana.com.gh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ghana–Japan-Auto-Connect-programme-696x522.webp?ssl=1&w=320&resize=320&ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/mlmjbqro95r8.i.optimole.com\/cb:bOxR.6a5\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.newsghana.com.gh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ghana–Japan-Auto-Connect-programme-696x522.webp?ssl=1&w=500&resize=500&ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/mlmjbqro95r8.i.optimole.com\/cb:bOxR.6a5\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.newsghana.com.gh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ghana–Japan-Auto-Connect-programme-696x522.webp?ssl=1&w=640&resize=640&ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/mlmjbqro95r8.i.optimole.com\/cb:bOxR.6a5\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.newsghana.com.gh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ghana–Japan-Auto-Connect-programme-696x522.webp?ssl=1&w=800&resize=800&ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/mlmjbqro95r8.i.optimole.com\/cb:bOxR.6a5\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.newsghana.com.gh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ghana–Japan-Auto-Connect-programme-696x522.webp?ssl=1&w=1024&resize=1024&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/mlmjbqro95r8.i.optimole.com\/cb:bOxR.6a5\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.newsghana.com.gh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ghana–Japan-Auto-Connect-programme-696x522.webp?ssl=1&w=1280&resize=1280&ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/mlmjbqro95r8.i.optimole.com\/cb:bOxR.6a5\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.newsghana.com.gh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ghana–Japan-Auto-Connect-programme-696x522.webp?ssl=1&w=1600&resize=1600&ssl=1 1600w\" width=\"696\" height=\"522\" class=\"entry-thumb td-modal-image\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/mlmjbqro95r8.i.optimole.com\/cb:bOxR.6a5\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.newsghana.com.gh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ghana–Japan-Auto-Connect-programme-696x522.webp?ssl=1\" alt=\"Ghana\u2013japan Auto Connect Programme\" title=\"Ghana\u2013japan Auto Connect Programme\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ghana\u2013japan Auto Connect Programme<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!-- content --><\/p>\n<p>Ghana and Japan have formally launched a joint training programme designed to equip young people with technical skills for the automotive industry and open pathways to employment in Japan, as both countries deepen a bilateral partnership forged across seven decades.<\/p>\n<p>The initiative, branded the Ghana\u2013Japan Auto Connect under the Green Auto Factory Africa (GAFA) project, was unveiled in Accra by George Opare-Addo, Minister of Youth Development and Empowerment, at a launch event attended by Japanese Ambassador Hiroshi Yoshimoto.<\/p>\n<p>The programme brings together the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment, the Ghana Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Service, and Green Auto Factory AICHI of Japan, with Toyota among the industry partners providing support.<\/p>\n<p>Selected participants will complete three months of Japanese language instruction followed by six months of specialised automotive training leading to a Level Three Automobile Mechanic Certification. Those who qualify may also access internship and employment opportunities in Japan through future labour mobility arrangements.<\/p>\n<p>Opare-Addo said the initiative formed part of government\u2019s broader effort to tackle youth unemployment through practical, market-responsive skills. He added that the global shift toward electric and advanced vehicle technologies made urgent reskilling essential for workers in Ghana\u2019s automotive sector, which employs an estimated 300,000 people.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a Ministry, our mandate is clear: to empower young people with the skills, opportunities and resources necessary to become productive citizens and drivers of national development,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Ambassador Yoshimoto said the programme reflected Japan\u2019s sustained commitment to Ghana\u2019s human capital development and would help close the gap between classroom learning and industry expectations.<\/p>\n<p>The GAFA initiative arrives as Ghana pushes to strengthen its position in the evolving continental automotive landscape, with Japanese carmakers having separately signalled plans to expand operations in the country following high-level diplomatic engagements earlier this year.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/blockads.fivefilters.org\"> <\/a><\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/blockads.fivefilters.org\/acceptable.html\"> <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8230; with technical skills for the <span class=\"match\">automotive<\/span> industry and open pathways &#8230; of specialised <span class=\"match\">automotive<\/span> training leading to a Level Three <span class=\"match\">Automobile<\/span> Mechanic Certification &#8230; in the evolving continental <span class=\"match\">automotive<\/span> landscape, with Japanese <span class=\"match\">carmakers<\/span> having separately &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-123016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123016","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123016"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123016\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}