Hundreds of job seekers thronged to Kumasi Prempeh Assembly Hall for a career fair programme

Hundreds of Ghanaians hunting for jobs thronged the Prempeh Assembly Hall in the Kumasi Metropolis of the Ashanti Region during a job and career fair.

Dubbed the 2023 Green Regional Job Fair, the event was organized by the SNV Netherlands Development Organization (SNV Ghana) and the European Union under its GrEEn Project initiative where employees and employers were brought together.

Held on Tuesday, September 26, 2023, the event was under the theme: "Career Prospects in TVET: The Nexus of Green Jobs for Inclusive Transformational Development".

Addressing participants at the opening session of the job fair, the project manager of the ‘GrEEn project’ at SNV Ghana, Laouali Sadda said the event was designed to provide a platform for both job seekers, company owners, and entrepreneurs to link up.

He added that the job fair is to connect job seekers to jobs and provide business development support to entrepreneurs among others.

“Today’s Green Job fair has as its main objective: to properly match job seekers, who we call talents to employers. We will also be providing business development support to entrepreneurs and inspiring more youth to kick start their Green Businesses”, he said.

He disclosed that the SNV Ghana under its GrEEn Project has trained over 5000 Ghanaian youth in the green and circular economy, adding that most of the beneficiaries were also taking through technical and vocational Training.

He pledged the SNV’s commitment to supporting job creation and skills development and also promoting the growth of local businesses and SMEs that are green in their operations by making use of waste materials or not engaging in activities that adversely affect the environment.

Laouali Sadda, however, commended some major institutions that partnered with SNV Ghana to hold the job fair including the European Union, the Association of Ghana Industries, the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, the Chamber of Young Entrepreneurs, and OTEC FM among others.

The Ashanti Regional Director of GTVET Service, Richard Addo Gyamfi who delivered the keynote address at the event said it was incumbent on Ghana as a country to adopt jobs in the green and circular economy to promote economic and social well-being.

He said: "The concept of green jobs still seems very new to Ghanaian workforce, but they contribute significantly to preserving or restoring the environment while promoting economic and social wellbeing"

He, however, called on stakeholders in the green and circular economy to link their activities to technical and vocational training.

He noted that TVET has always played a crucial role in shaping the future workforce and driving economic development.

"Today, we are at the crossroads where integration of green jobs within TVET systems hold the key to the sustainable and inclusive transformation of our society, it is interesting to note that in the global community where climate and environmental degradation are challenges that demand immediate attention, it has become an economic and social imperative that, we transition to a green economy for a sustainable future", he stated.