Reverend Latifa Adekanla (with mic) speaking at the event
The Executive Director of Lola Hair and Beauty College, Reverend Latifa Adekanla, has dispelled the notion that Technical and Vocational Training (TVET) programmes are for persons who are not academically sound, insisting that in today’s world, it remains a viable route for self-employment, and must not be viewed as an afterthought.
She said this on Friday, April 26, in Accra, when the LOLA Hair and Beauty College was officially launched to provide Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in cosmetology and hair styling to young people.
The institution has been in operation for the past eight years and has seen hundreds of young people trained, many of whom are now self-employed across the Greater Accra Region and beyond.
The grand opening was held at the college’s premises in West Legon, a suburb of Haatso in Accra. During the event, Reverend Latifa Adekanla, the Executive Director of the college, shared the emotional story behind the college’s founding.
Reverend Latifa revealed that, following the completion of her university education, attempts to secure a white-collar job had been unsuccessful.
A prophecy advising her to enter the hair and beauty industry was received, though it was initially resisted due to her academic background. “I am a graduate; I hold a Master’s degree from GIMPA,” she recalled.
Eventually, however, the path was accepted, and she stated, “My Master’s has been completed, but a livelihood has been found in hair and beauty.”
Young people were urged by Rev. Latifa to consider vocational training as a viable route to self-employment, rather than relying solely on employment opportunities from the state or private sector.
She also urged parents to support their children in acquiring practical skills alongside formal education.
“It need not be the case that exams must be failed before vocational training is pursued,” she noted.
“Parents should be encouraged to allow their children to engage in vocational activities as part of their extracurricular development.”
The guest speaker, Obuobia Darko-Opoku, the Deputy Acting Director of the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), praised the initiative and said it would contribute to reducing youth unemployment.
The importance of vocational training, with or without formal education, was stressed by her. “Not all of us will enter the corporate world,” she said. “Vocational paths should be considered as individuals seek to define their futures.”
The Executive Director of the College emphasised that the Lola College is in line with the government’s programmes to empower young people under the TVET sector.
The college, now in its eighth year, has been equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and modern tools, with which students are trained to industry standards.
Currently, an enrolment of over 15 students has been recorded, and more than 10 teaching and non-teaching staff have been employed.
The event also saw the graduation of 14 trainees from the Lola Hair and Beauty College.
Three of the graduates were male students who specialised in hair locking, while the remaining eleven studied hairdressing.
At the ceremony, the Executive Director also launched a non-profit organisation, Lola Hope Foundation Ghana, aimed at helping brilliant but financially disadvantaged students to access formal and informal education.
