The Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has disclosed that Ghanaian youths can become successful without necessarily depending on the central government, when given the right skills.
In a speech read on her behalf by the Chief Director, Mrs. Magdalene Ewuraesi Appenteng, during the Graphic Business/Stanbic Bank breakfast meeting in Accra, the Minister of Communications and Digitalisation disclosed that as part of government’s effort to equip the youth with the requisite employable skills, Ghana is collaborating with some international bodies such as the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the World Food Programme (WFP) to roll out a Youth Driven Digital Food System Model programme to train about one million youth who are engaged in small holder farming with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills. In addition, 4,000 farmer organisations would be trained with ICT skills under the programme.
The Minister said “the programme formed part of measures to address the digital literacy gap and build the capacities of players in the agriculture and food value chains”.
According to the Minister, the digital literacy skills gap published by Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) in 2018 indicated that 40 per cent of employees at the entry level lacked basic digital literacy skills, while 57 per cent of employees at the middle level lacked basic digital skills.
Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful further disclosed that government is also currently running a Digital Literacy Skill programme to train about 14,376 youth with basic, intermediate and advanced literacy skills in collaborating with ITU, CISCO and the Norwegian Agency Development Co-operation.
She said as part of the programme, 8,174 women such as hairdressers and dressmakers will be equipped with skills
“Just as government employees are being trained to be equipped with digital skills, the private sector is encouraged to sponsor not only its employees but also its suppliers and agents who may be in the informal sector to enhance business processes and delivery in the various value chains,” said Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful.
The Minister said Ghana could be the launch pad to reach the rest of the continent in the country’s huge digital infrastructure and internet penetration.
Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful indicated that there are huge job opportunities in the digital sector, adding that digital jobs in Sub-Saharan Africa are projected to reach 230 million in 2030 and digital revenues over the same period are estimated to be worth $139 billion.
