Ghana’s struggle to attract investors and create a conducive business environment is hindering efforts to address unemployment, the Minister for Labour, Jobs and Employment, Dr. Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo, has admitted.
Speaking in an interview with the High Street Journal’s Nii Marmah Boye, Dr. Pelpuo stated, “We are facing challenges in bringing in investors, making sure they have a good environment for them,” underscoring the urgent need for economic reforms to boost job creation. His remarks come amid government initiatives aimed at tackling unemployment through both domestic and international employment programs.
One of the flagship programs launched to address this issue is the “Work Abroad” initiative, designed to connect unemployed Ghanaian youth with overseas job opportunities. The program, according to Dr. Pelpuo, has already drawn significant interest from both job seekers and foreign employers.
“Recently, I launched the Work Abroad program to enable many of our youth who are not employed here to take the opportunity to be employed somewhere,” he explained. “Huge numbers have registered, and we have quite a good number of countries expressing interest to employ Ghanaians.”
A key advantage of the initiative is that many foreign employers are covering transportation costs, making it easier for Ghanaian youth to take up these opportunities. “All you need is to register and fit into the qualification available, then we match you to the wanting organization to facilitate the process,” Dr. Pelpuo added.
Beyond international job placements, the government is also engaging local businesses to implement a 24-hour economy model, a policy aimed at expanding working hours and creating more employment opportunities.
“We are talking to a lot of companies to embrace the 24-hour economy to increase the number of working hours and employ more workers,” Dr. Pelpuo revealed, though he acknowledged that some operational details are still being fine-tuned.
The Work Abroad program offers immediate opportunities for unemployed youth while the proposed 24-hour economy could transform domestic job creation. However, success, the Minister noted will depend on careful implementation, strong international partnerships, and continued improvements to Ghana’s investment climate.
As registration numbers grow for the overseas employment initiative and discussions continue on expanding business hours nationwide, the Labour Ministry says it is focused on both short-term solutions and long-term structural changes to revitalize Ghana’s job market.
