The Minister of Planning, Prof. Gyan Baffour represented President Akufo-Addo at the ceremony, while the Krontihene of Dormaa, Barimah Ansu Agyei, and Eni’s Executive Vice President for Sub-Saharan Africa Guido Brusco cut the sod. The ceremony was also attended by the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu and the Italian Ambassador to Ghana, Giovanni Favilli.

The training centre is part of the Okuafo Pa Project, aimed at supporting Ghana’s sustainable development by promoting socio-economic growth.

The centre consists of a campus for up to 800 students, with classrooms, workshops, offices and related storage spaces and utilities.

Photovoltaic panels will power the campus, which will be energetically self-sufficient and highly efficient. Educational programmes, focusing on agricultural activities, poultry breeding and greenhouse cultivation, will be defined with the support of Ghanaian and European universities. Besides training activities, Okuafo Pa Project will facilitate access to micro-credit and to the labour market. Opening of educational activities is expected by year-end.

The campus is the first step of the Okuafo Pa Project, aimed at defining a sustainable model to be replicated in other regions of Ghana as well as in other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, to positively impact on productive activities and occupation opportunities. The campus will leverage local employment, generate revenue from agricultural activities and develop a co-operative model on the overall supply-chain of each product.

Okuafo Pa Project is developed by Eni and the Government of Ghana, represented by the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI). The project is aligned to the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Government of Ghana program “Ghana Beyond Aid”.

Eni is an energy company, working to build a future where everyone can access energy resources efficiently and sustainably. Eni operates in 71 countries worldwide, employing around 33,000 people.

The company is engaged in oil and gas exploration, production, refining and marketing operations, petrochemicals, and power generation also from renewable sources. Eni has been present in Ghana since 2009 through its subsidiary Eni Ghana. Eni is Operator of the OCTP Integrated Oil & Gas Development Project (Eni 44.44%, Vitol 35.56%, GNPC 20%).