Ms. Mercy Afrowa Needjan, the President of the Greater Accra Markets Association, says the country’s markets are the lifeblood of the agricultural and informal sector.
She said the markets were also a major source of revenue for Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies and the economy at large.
Ms Needjan was speaking at the 4th Annual National Precision Quality (PQ) Conference organised by the Design & Technology Institute (DTI).
The Conference organised under the auspices of the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) and the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET) is to highlight the critical role of Labour market information systems in stimulating job creation.
The conference was on the theme: “Utilizing Labour Market Information Systems (LMIS) to galvanise job creation and strengthen the collaboration among stakeholders,” brought together representatives from the public and private sectors, youth organisations, and the media to deliberate on the importance of developing a robust LMIS that effectively addresses the employment needs of Ghanaians.
“By revitalising the informal sector, which forms over 70 per cent of our national economy, we will enhance competition in the domestic and international markets and create job opportunities that drive economic growth,” she added.
She called on the private sector to join hands with the markets across the country and agricultural industry to establish processing hubs across the country.
This will enable farm produce to be processed for domestic and international consumption to reduce post-harvest losses, create jobs, and generate income for stakeholders in the agric value chain.
“This would promote goods made in Ghana and enhance the economy,” she said.
Ms Needjan called on stakeholders to strengthen collaborations with the agricultural sector to enhance Ghana’s markets, create competition in the local and international markets, and create sustainable jobs.
She said the partnership with DTI through the PQ training had enhanced the skills and practices of members of the Market Associations which improved the quality of their goods and services to generate more income.
“The PQ training has significantly impacted our members who participated, 19 per cent of participants registered their businesses, while 64 per cent of these women began to keep proper records in the form of bookkeeping,” she said.
Some members reported profits increased by 12 per cent six months after the training, while 33 per cent opened a bank account, and 12 per cent joined Trade Associations.
Ms Constance Elizabeth Swaniker, the Founder and CEO of DTI, said the conference formed part of a three-year Transforming youth TVET livelihoods for sustainable jobs partnership between the Institute and the Mastercard Foundation as part of the Foundations Young Africa Works strategy in Ghana.
The programme will provide 40,000 direct and indirect work opportunities for young people in the country using a multiplier approach.
She said, “DTI is a shining example of how public-private-academic partnerships can create jobs and improve skills in a developing country like Ghana. We have intentionally ensured key collaborations on the PQ agenda over the years. We can create a prosperous future for Ghanaians and Africa.”
“Our PQ approach has helped to create jobs and improve skills in Ghana by developing systems that address the training needs of people and industry,” She said.
Ms Swaniker said they were excited to work with our stakeholders, including the government, to produce a world-class workforce by building a demand-driven, robust labour market and skills intelligence system that creates jobs and drives economic growth.
She said this year’s conference theme was significant considering Ghana’s current economic challenges.
“By better understanding the labour market, we can identify where there are skills shortages and opportunities to create new jobs,” she said.
This will help develop policies and plan education and training to support job creation and economic growth.
DTI has initiated several activities with key stakeholders, including collaborating with Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) to enhance Ghana’s LMIS.
She said the collaboration would create a more robust and relevant information system that enables policymakers to understand labour market requirements, make informed decisions, and address youth unemployment.
She said the informal sector was the backbone of Ghana’s economy, and “we must ensure that it is included, empowered, and can participate meaningfully in any discussions about them.”
Ms Swaniker about by taking these steps, stakeholders could unleash the untapped potential of the informal sector and create a brighter and more prosperous future for all Ghanaians.
