Hundreds of jobseekers, mostly the youth, turned up at the Prempeh Assembly Hall in Kumasi to participate in the 2022 green edition of the Ghana Job Fair, to explore employment opportunities.
The fair, which was held concurrently in Kumasi and Tamale brought together jobseekers and employers with the aim of matching both parties with available vacancies, while creating networks for future employment opportunities for those unable to get jobs.
“Connecting Talents and Opportunities”, was the theme chosen for this year’s event which was put together by the German Development Cooperation through the Ghanaian-German Centre for Jobs, Migration and Reintegration, in collaboration with the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations and the Youth Employment Agency.
The job fair is a strategic response to the needs of the Ghanaian youth in the area of employment and provides opportunities for jobseekers to acquire the necessary skills and mind-set for innovative and sustainable job opportunities.
According to a 2021 report of the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), one out of three young adults in Ghana is unemployed and the job fair seeks to address the menace through a collaborative effort of the Ghana and German governments.
Various speakers took turns to address the participants on job opportunities and how best they could enhance their employability with emphasis on entrepreneurship.
Other activities included curriculum vitae and cover letter reviews to make them suitable for varied job opportunities.
Officials of the Labour Department were also on hand to take details of the jobseekers for possible vacancies in future.
Mr Ignatius Baffour Awuah, Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, in a speech read on his behalf, said the government of Ghana through the National Green Jobs Strategy, aimed to create decent and sustainable job opportunities for the teeming youth in Ghana.
“We appreciate the cooperation that exists between the Ministry and GIZ Ghana.
It contributes to the realisation of the development objectives of the two countries in the areas of employment promotion and sustainable development,” he observed.
He commended organisers of the annual event for their significant contribution to efforts by the government to address youth unemployment and pledged the Ministry’s commitment to stakeholder engagement in finding lasting solutions to the perennial phenomenon.
Mr Simon Osei-Mensah, the Ashanti Regional Minister said youth unemployment was a serious challenge that informed the government’s decision to introduce the Nation Builder Corp (NABCO) as a stop gap measure to the increasing rate of unemployment among the youth.
He said the implementation of the YouStart initiative by the government sought to build on the NABCO programme by creating one million sustainable jobs through the provision of funding and technical support for beneficiaries to start their own businesses.
Mr David Yaw Mensah Tette, Senior National Programme Coordinator for Migration for Development at GIZ Ghana, said the GIZ through the Ghanaian-German Centre and its partners was working to match jobseekers and job opportunities in the country.
“We encourage graduates and jobseekers to continue to engage the Centre for further support even after the Ghana Job Fair,” he implored the participants.
