A sod has been cut to begin the construction of a permanent place for the Ghanaian-German Centre for Jobs, Migration and Reintegration (GGC) in Accra which would serve as advisory unit for employment promotion and economic perspectives in the country.
The initiative is part of the global Programme Migration for Development (PMD) of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) dubbed “Returning to New Opportunities”. It would in turn provide job opportunities for the local populace as well as returnees seeking for support in their social and economic reintegration.
Funded by BMZ, the project is being implemented by the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) in collaboration with Ghana’s Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations and expected to be completed in October this year.
The project initiative lays emphasis on supporting people through training in setting up their own businesses and entities such as Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) to improve on their living standards and contribute to Ghana’s economic performance.
Addressing the media, the Director General of BMZ, Dr. Stephan Oswald said apart from creation of jobs, their motive was to facilitate orderly, safe responsible migration and mobility of people as stated in the AU Agenda 2030 which also relates to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 10.7.
“This is our common goal. We do not want to hinder migration, but to manage it well”, he reiterated.
The construction of the centre will facilitate data collection analysis and research on labour issues to inform decision making by government and strengthen governance system of labour migration in Ghana.
Since the launch and temporal opening of the centre in December 2017, the office has served as a point of counselling by providing advice on training and job opportunities for more than 6,000 people looking for viewpoint to stay in Ghana or return.
Last August, the Employment Ministry and GIZ signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate in the field of employment, promotion, reintegration and regular migration advice.
Currently, about 4,500 people have received vocational training since its inception whereas more than 600 Ghanaians have either been employed or assisted in setting up business.
Labour Minister Ignatius Baffour Awuah and Dr. Oswald together planted a tree to mark the construction of the project.
By Dundas Whigham