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Carlos Ahenkorah, Member of Parliament (MP) for Tema West, says he is arrogant because he wants to see women in his constituency economically empowered. Also a Deputy Minister for Trade, Mr Ahenkorah said the Tema West Constituency needs a ‘financially arrogant’ leader to prioritise the financial independence of the women in the area, “because they man our homes.

“If because of my craze to financially empower the women in my constituency is the reason some people describe me as arrogant, then, I’m glad,” Carlos said proudly.

To this end, he said his craze for women empowerment in his constituency would be unabated.  Gracing the climax of a six-day fee-free vocational training at Baatsona, Tema West, where 600 women benefited from his sponsorship, Carlos Ahenkorah challenged the participants to be abreast with the modern business trend in which services chase customers.

“Today, you don’t expect business to come to you in your shops. Get out and hawk your service. The business world has changed,” he said.

Though a laudable training he had been able to provide them, the MP challenged the participants to be their own off-takers and save the little they would make from their door-to-door service to better and sharpen their skills, by being apprenticed for a longer period.

“What you were taught here were for only six days, and though I can see what you could do, you still will need more time to sharpen your skills. In the meantime, what you’ve learnt here can start putting some food on your table and to manage your home,” Mr Ahenkorah said.

So that their skills did not die, the MP promised to discuss with the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) for some micro loans to the participants to, at least, enable them acquire some of the tools and materials they would need to help them take off.

The training started on Monday and ended on Saturday.

It was on the theme: ‘Skills training-a tool for bridging unemployment gap’, and the MP held it in collaboration with Staunch Queens of Coastal Drive of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Serwah Dwomoh Bonsu, an aspiring Assembly Member for the Baatsona Electoral Area.