Engineering Students in Ghana Deserve Training Allowances – IET Ghana President

The Institution of Engineering and Technology, Ghana (IET-Ghana) has issued a strong appeal to the government to extend student trainee allowances to cover engineering students, highlighting what it describes as a critical gap in Ghana’s human resource development strategy.

The call was made by IET-Ghana President Engr. Henry Kwadwo Boateng during the induction ceremony of new engineering professionals on Friday 30th May 2025 at Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED) in Kumasi.

Engr. Boateng pointed to the glaring disparity in government support, noting that while nursing and teacher trainees benefit from monthly stipends, engineering students across technical universities, vocational institutes, and traditional university faculties receive no such support.

This policy exclusion is not just an oversight – it’s a fundamental misalignment with our national development priorities,

Engr. Boateng stated.

At a time when Ghana is pushing for industrialization and technological advancement, we’re systematically neglecting the very professionals who make these goals possible.

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The IET-Ghana president challenged the longstanding justification for the current policy, which reserves allowances for teaching and nursing trainees due to historical personnel shortages. He argued that Ghana’s current development needs have fundamentally shifted.

Our critical deficit today isn’t in teachers or nurses – it’s in engineers, technicians and skilled artisans. Look at any major construction site or manufacturing plant and you’ll see the evidence – we’re importing technical expertise from neighboring countries because we’re not adequately supporting our own youth to pursue these careers,

he noted.

The appeal comes just days after President John Dramani Mahama announced the full restoration of nursing training allowances during his visit to the Bono East Region.

While welcoming this development, IET-Ghana insists the conversation about human resource development must be expanded.

Engineering isn’t just another field of study – it’s the backbone of industrialization, the foundation of infrastructure development, and the driver of technological innovation,

Engr. Boateng emphasized.

If we’re serious about building a self-reliant, industrialized Ghana, then we need to get serious about supporting engineering education.

The ceremony also saw the induction of a new cohort of engineering professionals, whom Engr. Boateng charged to become ambassadors for the profession.

As you begin your careers, remember that you’re not just engineers – you’re nation builders. And part of that responsibility includes advocating for policies that will enable future generations of engineers to thrive,

he told the inductees.

IET-Ghana’s call has sparked renewed debate about educational funding priorities, with many in the engineering community arguing that the current policy framework fails to reflect Ghana’s contemporary development needs.