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The Education Ministry is seeking Cabinet approval to reserve 10% of GETFund resources for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), a move aimed at strengthening technical education in Ghana.
Announcing the initiative at the opening of the 2026 Applied Research Conference of Technical Universities of Ghana (ARCTUG 2026) at Takoradi Technical University on May 26, Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu said President John Dramani Mahama has directed that GH¢100 million be earmarked under the 2027 GETFund formula for the country’s 10 technical universities, with each institution set to receive GH¢10 million to support infrastructure and development within the TVET sector.
“President Mahama has instructed me to direct the Administrator of GETFund to allocate GH¢100 million—GH¢10 million to each technical university—as seed and distress funding,” the Minister said, emphasizing that the intervention is a government commitment, not a political promise.
Mr. Iddrisu highlighted previous interventions to show the administration’s dedication to higher education financing. “Last year, President Mahama promised five universities GH¢10 million each, and those funds have been disbursed,” he noted.
The Minister further revealed that GETFund has also been directed to release support to newly established public universities, including GH¢10 million to the University for Sustainable Development in Somanya and GH¢5 million to the University of Agriculture and Engineering Sciences at Bonsu.
Looking beyond immediate allocations, the Minister announced plans for a dedicated TVET Fund, describing it as a potential enduring legacy of President Mahama for Ghana’s technical education. “We are proposing that 10% of GETFund resources, which could amount to about GH¢900 million, be reserved for TVET to address infrastructure and equipment needs,” he explained.
Mr. Iddrisu also disclosed that the government is considering allocating 2.5% of total oil revenue to TVET to ensure sustainable financing.
Additionally, he assured that the Jomoro College of Education in Ezinlibo would receive infrastructure support similar to facilities recently commissioned at Bawku.
The five-day ARCTUG 2026 conference, running from May 25 to 29 and hosted by Takoradi Technical University under the Vice-Chancellors of Technical Universities of Ghana (VCTU-G), brings together researchers, policymakers, industry players, faculty, and students to discuss applied research and the future of technical education. The theme for the conference is “Advancing TVET for Innovation, Technology Transfer, and Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Development.”
Story by Efua Nessa