Data Base Of Skilled Ghanaian Professionals Initiated

By The Ghana High Commission In The UK

A collation of data on skilled Ghanaian professionals to help the government and the private sector to tap their expertise and especially to aid Ghanaian professionals who desire to return home has been launched in London.

The project known as the Ghana Professional Skills Data Base was initiated by the Ghana High Commission in the United Kingdom is meant to capture the profile of Ghanaian professionals in the Diaspora, for other national interest purposes.

It allows individual professionals to upload their resumes for prospective employers to access the data at a website for job considerations.

Ghana’s High Commissioner to the UK and Ireland, Professor Kwaku Danso-Boafo, whose vision is to have a database of Ghanaian professionals resident in the Diaspora, initiated the project after commissioning a survey into a number and activities of Ghanaian professionals in the UK.

In April 2010, a Taskforce of twenty two (22) experienced Ghanaian professionals comprising representatives of Ghanaian university alumni associations, professional groups, political parties, chiefs, community associations among others was inaugurated and charged with the responsibility of putting together the modalities for the compilation of a data of Ghanaian professionals in the Diaspora especially in the UK.

After two years of due diligence and hard work, searching for information across the length and breadth of the Diaspora, the Taskforce working within the parameters of acceptable data protection laws, developed a comprehensive working register capable of capturing the qualifications, skills and experiences of Ghanaian professionals in the Diaspora.

Launching the Data Base project, Professor Kwaku Danso-Boafo said the government of Ghana was very serious with the project because it will serve as a means of accelerating the development of the country by tapping into the rich experience of Ghanaians residing outside the country.

He observed that the survey conducted indicated that a lot of Ghanaian professionals have the desire to return home but have the fear of how they would fit very well into the system. According to him, some of them have complained about how to secure employment.

‘I believe we have been able to put in place this efficient system to help such people to secure jobs, in some cases before they reach Ghana.’ He noted.

The High Commissioner asked Ghanaian Professionals in the Diaspora and various groupings, including Chiefs, to take advantage of the work of the Taskforce in order to expedite the process of knowledge and technology transfer back to Ghana.

He also appealed to public/private sector organizations in Ghana and the Diaspora to also take advantage of the Data Base to cut down on the number of unemployed Ghanaian professionals.

‘I am happy to have had the opportunity to initiate this project that will give Ghanaian professionals in the Diaspora the opportunity to use their experience to develop mother Ghana. I also recommend this database to all recruiters that you will find here some of the best prospective Ghanaian candidates.’ He said

Prof. Danso-Boafo gave the assurance that information gathered for the Data base, would be put to good use and would not be left on shelves to gather dust.

He thanked members of the Taskforce and all those who in diverse ways contributed to the realization of the project for their commitment and hard work.

The Chairman of the Taskforce, Mr. Mensa Kobi-Kuma, speaking after the inauguration of the project said, the project was necessitated primarily by the frustration of Ghanaian Professionals in the Diaspora, looking for jobs in Ghana after completing their courses of study in the United Kingdom and other European countries.

He was of the view that the project would help such people to find suitable jobs back home as well as helping the government and the private sector to get the right caliber of people they want to work with.

The website which has pages for prospective employers as well as one for candidates, requires the professionals to register and submit their resume for the prospective employers to use a special search system at the site to find who they need.

Mr. Kobi-Kuma provided the address of the website as http://www.ghanaprofessionalskills.com/ and call on all to make good use of the facility.