The Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection (MoGCSP), through its School of Social Work, has successfully held a closing ceremony for the 5th cohort of the Social Services Workforce Training Programme on Saturday in Accra.
Delivering the speech on behalf of the Minister, the Chief Director of MoGCSP, Dr Marian W. A. Kpakpah, commended the trainees for their dedication and commitment throughout the programme.
She noted that social work was not just about roads, buildings, and economic indicators but about people’s dignity and development, and urged social workers to apply the knowledge acquired to impact lives at the grassroots level.
“It is about making sure no individual slips through the cracks, no family is abandoned, and no community feels invisible,” she said.
Dr Marian Kpakpah stated that social workers should not wait for the system to be perfect before delivering effectively on the job; rather, they should work to improve the systems they inherited because systems do not transform communities, people do.
On her part, the Principal of the School of Social Work, Madam Yvonne Norman, reiterated the role of a well-trained social service workforce in addressing emerging social issues within communities.
She urged the officers to enter their fields of work as problem-solvers, not merely as people who have completed a course.
Representing UNICEF, Child Protection Specialist Young Joo Lee indicated that social work has been one of the toughest yet most important professions because of its role in the development of the country.
She reiterated UNICEF’s commitment to continuous capacity building as a cornerstone for effective social protection delivery.
Speaking on behalf of the student body, a student representative stated that they are committed to applying the knowledge and skills acquired to improve the lives of vulnerable people and to contribute meaningfully to national development.
Certificates were presented to participants who completed the programme, signifying their readiness to contribute meaningfully to Ghana’s social services workforce.
The ceremony marked the culmination of weeks of intensive training to equip participants with the requisite knowledge, skills, and ethical grounding to deliver social protection services effectively across the country.
Priscilla Osei-Wusu Nimako, ISD
