The 2019 Ghana Job Fair was held last Wednesday in Accra as prospective job seekers got the opportunity to apply for employment in their fields of interest.
The fair which brought together close to 2,000 undergraduates from some parts saw about 140 employers attending organize by the Ghanaian –German Centre for Jobs, Migration and Reintegration (GGC) and the Ministry for Employment and Labour Relations (MELR).
It is expected to provide at least 1,000 jobs to the qualified job seekers as each employer was projected to employ a minimum of three persons to compliment the government’s effort at reducing unemployment among the youth.
Representing the Minister for Employment and Labour Relations Mr Ignatius Baffour Awuah, Deputy Minister of the sector Bright Wereko Brobbey, who spoke at the launch of the fair said the initiative sought to modernize the management of the labour market.
He observed that youth unemployment had assumed alarming proportions in Ghana, a situation which has resulted in unprecedented levels of illegal migrations and thousands of needless deaths on the seas and desert.
The minister opined that there were times when unemployment was not because there were no job openings saying “Sometimes, there appears to be a disconnect between employers and job seekers, many job seekers can remain unemployed principally because they lack information about available opportunities which required their knowledge and skill sets”.
He noted that over the years, logistics and capacity challenges had made it difficult for the labour department in Ghana to perform its function as expected.
The Labour ministry according to him was making conscious efforts to build the institutional and human resource capacity of the labour department to make it more effective in the execution of its mandate.
The Deputy minister commended the employers who participated in the fair for making their vacancies available and encouraged the job seekers to be committed and hardworking when given the opportunity.
Mr. Christopher Retzlaff, German Ambassador to Ghana projected that Ghana would be among the world’s fastest growing economies this year if the government fulfills its goal to create more jobs for the youth.
“To tap this potential, Ghana has to provide young people with the necessary skills for the labour market and young people need to have the opportunity to use their skill in the right working environment,” he reiterated.