The Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation has rolled out a new initiative aimed at equipping Ghana’s youth with essential digital skills to enhance their employability in the global economy and address the country’s youth unemployment challenges.
Named “eSkills for Jobs,” the program will be introduced in phases and conducted through designated institutions across ten regions, including Greater Accra, Ashanti, Central, Volta, Bono, Northern, Upper East, Western North, Eastern, and Bono East.
The Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT (GI-KACE) is leading the initiative, with plans to train over 5,000 participants per session in critical areas such as web technology, data analytics, graphic design, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and digital marketing, among others. The program also focuses on empowering marginalized groups, ensuring their participation in Ghana’s national development efforts.
Advancing the Digital Economy
Speaking at the launch in Accra, Minister of Communications and Digitalisation Ursula Owusu-Ekuful highlighted the pivotal role of digital skills in achieving Ghana’s socio-economic goals. She reaffirmed the government’s commitment to empowering the youth with technological skills to make them competitive in a rapidly digitalizing world.
“We must focus on digitalization to accelerate economic growth. This has been our focus for the past eight years because we recognize the immense economic potential of a digitally connected society,” Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful stated.
She also emphasized the government’s ongoing digital sector initiatives and encouraged young people to take full advantage of the program to improve their employability, noting that technology is shaping the future of work and creating opportunities for remote and in-person employment globally.
GI-KACE’s Vision for Digital Inclusion
GI-KACE’s Director-General, Dr. Collins Yeboah-Afari, described the initiative as a “transformative” effort designed to drive digital empowerment and broaden economic inclusion across Ghana. According to Dr. Yeboah-Afari, the program reflects GI-KACE’s commitment to not only training young people but also shaping a future where all Ghanaians have access to digital opportunities.
Through this initiative, he explained, the center aims to build a skilled workforce capable of leading Ghana’s digital transformation and securing the nation’s position in the global economy. The initiative also aligns with the Ghana Digital Acceleration Project (GDAP), a government effort to integrate ICT across economic sectors.
“Our goal is to foster a culture of digital literacy, especially given that 90% of future jobs will require digital skills, while two billion people worldwide lack access to digital technologies,” Dr. Yeboah-Afari said.
He further stressed the program’s commitment to bridging the digital skills gap for women and individuals with disabilities, providing these groups with tailored training to enable their full participation in the workforce and contribute to Ghana’s national development.
