HISTORY OF ATORKOR TECHNICAL INSTITUTE

Atorkor Technical Institute (ATI) as it is now called, is one of the flagship projects of the Atorkor Development Foundation (ADF). It was set up as the Atorkor Vocational Training Centre. It is the fourth major project carried out by the ADF after the following projects, the IT Centre and Library, 3 - unit Classroom block both in the Basic School and the Medical Clinic. The ATI is by far the biggest and most expensive of the projects so far.

Since its inception, the ADF has been guided by a constant vision which is to transform Atorkor from a very poor, underdeveloped and inadequately served community into a self-sustaining one with a full range of basic amenities: modern schools, a well-equipped medical centre, affordable communication facilities and a vocational centre to provide a variety of skills training.

The need for the provision of vocational training has been very high on the agenda of the Foundation since its inception in 2001 and it was formally incorporated into the first of the Foundation's Strategic Development Plan drawn up in 2006 for the period 2008 to 2012.

The collapse of the fishing industry, the mainstay of the local economy, has resulted in massive unemployment and consequent high levels of poverty. Very few young adults are able to continue after their basic school Education and enrol in secondary school or indeed tertiary education. Hence the area has very high youth unemployment. Even though the Foundation has been supporting some of these children by providing educational sponsorship to enable them continue further formal education, this is not sufficient to address the problem. Hence the need for a Vocational school to address the high level of youth unemployment by providing them the opportunity to acquire relevant skills to assist them in generating sustainable income.

The provision of vocational training school by the ADF drew a step closer when in 2009 Ms. Peta Hall was sent to Atorkor by the Village Volunteers, the ADF's partner organisation based in the U.S.A. to work with the Foundation. Soon after her visit to Atorkor, the Founder and Chairman of the ADF, Togbi Akumey Geli Adjorlolo III hosted a meeting in London attended by Ms. Peta Hall and Mr. Walter Deffor, one of the trustees of the ADF. The outcome of that meeting was very significant as it laid the concrete foundation for setting up of the Vocational Centre with Ms. Hall promising to provide the design. It was also agreed that the main obstacle was funding.

A second meeting was held in London at which Ms. Hall presented the design done by a well-known Canadian architect, Mr. Brian Clark. These designs were subsequently modified to take into account local conditions. It was agreed to build the Institute in phases. The ADF in 2010 approached the Keta Municipal Assembly for land for the project, but there was an issue because the land owners had not been paid any compensation when the land was acquired by the Government. However, the land owners agreed for the project to go ahead. They have since donated the land for which the Foundation is forever grateful.

Ms. Hall then contacted the Bake Family Foundation in UK for funding. Since ADF is a UK registered Charity, the Bake Family Foundation was able provide initial funding for the phase 1 after signing an agreement with the ADF.

Hence the phase 1 building is called the BAKE BLOCK. The construction was started in February 2011, by the ADF construction team led by Mr. Sammy Larbi. It was supervised diligently by Ms. Peta Hall, completed in July 2011 and commissioned by the Hon. Mr. C.K. Humado the local MP and the then Minister of Youth and Sport in August 2011. This building housed the main administration office, workshops for Textile Decoration/batik, Dressmaking, and an ICT laboratory, washrooms, a kitchen/meeting room, a storage room and the Adabla Library. The Rotary Clubs of Ontario, Canada, private Canadian donors and the then National Youth Employment Program (NYEP) which became GYEEDA but now called Youth Employment Agency (YEA) funded the set up and equipment cost for this phase. It was opened to students in November 2011 with the initial intake of 80.

PHASE 2: Expansion and Growth

The phase 2 was very critical as there was the need to increase the number of courses especially those that would benefit the young men since the phase 1 courses benefitted mainly the women. The construction of the second phase, the Humado Block, commenced in March 2012; the same local building team was used. Funding came from NYEP/GYEEDA/YEA. The construction was completed in September 2012.

The Humado Block was commissioned by Hon. C.K Humado on October 9, 2012. This building houses a general office, workshops with instructors' offices in Welding, Masonry/Construction, Electrical Installation, Catering and Dressmaking, a staff room, classrooms, wash rooms with shower and locker facilities, a utility room, and a storeroom. All the buildings have allowances for expansion and the Humado Block can withstand a complete second storey.

Some of the donors' names including Picton Rotary, Canada, Churches and private citizens from Canada can be found on the entrance wall to the school. In 2013 ADF received grant from VITOL Charitable Foundation, London to purchase equipment for courses in Welding, Electrical Installation, Masonry/Construction, Catering and Dressmaking. Funding for operating the Centre was provided by GYEEDA through an agreement with the ADF.

Ms. Peta Hall became the first Director of the School. National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI) absorbed the Vocational Centre in January 2013 following application from the ADF and subsequent partnership agreement with the ADF. The Centre became known as the Atorkor Vocational Training Institute (AVTI). Rev. G. R. Asiedu-Osafo was appointed the first Manager.

In 2018, the ADF signed an agreement with Rotary Club of Ontario, Canada for the provision of solar energy in the Institute. In all 99 solar panels were installed. The funding for the project came from the late Canadian philanthropist Mr. Peter Naylor. The project was facilitated by Ms. Peta Hall.

In 2023, the AVTI was upgraded to a Technical Institute as part of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Service and is now Atorkor Technical Institute.

APPRECIATIONS

The ADF would like to thank the following people: The kind and generous individuals and organisations, the hard-working construction team, the women who planted and nursed the flowers and shrubs, The late Dr. Prosper Adabla for helping in setting up the library, Hon. Clement Kofi Humado for his unflinching support in sourcing a lot of funding for the Institute, the Land Owners especially Besa Galley Agbenyega and Alfred Dzaka and Keta Municipal Assembly, especially Hon. Sylvester Tornyeava, the then Municipal Chief Executive.

The Foundation is extremely grateful to Ms. Peta Hall for her pioneering role and working closely with the ADF in the establishment of the ATI.

LEADERSHIP OF THE INSTITUTE AS OF TODAY

ATI wishes to extend its sincere appreciation by acknowledging the commitment, leadership, and dedication that each one of the following individuals has demonstrated in steering the organization towards success. Your continued efforts are the cornerstone of our progress and the driving force behind our collective achievements.

Togbi Akumey Geli Adjorlolo III, Dufia of Atorkor, Founder and Chairman ADF.