TAF College pursues transformation of jobless youth into entrepreneurs – Nsemkeka
In the quest to transform unemployed youths, including school dropouts, young single mothers and former illegal miners, into skilled entrepreneurs to create jobs, The African Freelancers (TAF) College in Accra, has held its 2025 matriculation for a new cohort of students poised to empower their lives through entrepreneurship and creativity training.
As a tuition-free applied business school, TAF College is committed to empowering unemployed youth across West Africa. This years 60 matriculants have already completed an intensive eight-week training in soft business skills including leadership, emotional intelligence, problem-solving, public speaking, and alternative dispute resolution.
They now move on to specialized skills training in fields such as graphic design, cinematography, digital marketing, fashion design, cosmetology, real estate management, and more.
TAF Colleges programmes are supported by donations from philanthropists, corporate partners, and non-profit organizations, enabling access to transformative education for underprivileged youth from Ghana and neighboring countries including Cameroon, Liberia, Ivory Coast, and Nigeria.
Rev. Johnnie Oquaye, Founder and President of TAF College, delivering his address, announced a series of initiatives to expand the training at the school, indicating that, “We are expanding our fashion design program with 10 new industrial sewing machines, doubling our capacity for hands-on training. Our cosmetology department is also evolving, merging classes to provide a more professional salon, makeup, and nail care experience.”
Significantly, he announced that TAF College is integrating Artificial Intelligence across all its creative courses, positioning itself as an A.I.-driven creative school, adding that our students will become prompt engineers, mastering tools that will put them at the forefront of the digital economy.”
Additionally, he said the college is launching a new Design, Build, and Manage program, focusing on architecture, construction, and property management.
Touching on the progress of enrolment, he noted that through to a partnership with the Women in Creative Africa (WICA) Foundation, female enrollment has surged from 25% to 65% in just two years.
Rev. Oquaye expressed appreciation to all donors and partners for their support is changing lives, while calling on more benevolent individuals and organizations to join in helping expand the colleges impact.
He particularly thanked Berkha Africa for its partnership in providing expert consultants to serve as facilitators for the business class sessions. Other sponsors such as ATB Foundation, Fidelity Bank, HACSA Foundation, DTRT Appanel, Pishon Group, Kwori, Pecan Energies, Dr. Cynthia Mitchel, OHBM, Eleanor Johnson, UBUNTU Online Academy and Ebony Elixir were also acknowledge.
Gifty Anti, a WICA member, encouraged students to honor the investment made in them by donors by becoming empowered to empower others.
Prince Ofosu Sefa, former Administrator of the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), also urged the students to leverage digital tools to enhance their businesses and thrive in the digital economy.