Ghanaian-German Center For Jobs Move To Labour Ministry To Deepen Collaboration

The Ghanaian-German Center (GGC) for Jobs, Migration, and Integration has moved its operations from the GNAT Heights Building located at 30 Independence Avenue to the premises of the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations (MELR) in Accra as it looks to deepen its collaboration with the sector.

With the new location and enhanced architectural set-up, the GGC is confident at improving its core function as an employment hub for Ghanaians seeking assistance in matters relating to employment, migration, as well as reintegration.Speaking at the official launch and opening of the newly constructed edifice that will house the GCC from now onwards, the Ministry for Employment and Labour Relations, Hon. Ignatius Baffour Awuah said the collaborative initiative is part of efforts by the government to fight against the high rate of unemployment in the country.

He opines that the move will strengthen the decent job creation agenda of the government and will also help minimise the issue of migration through unsafe pathways to Germany and the other Gulf States.

Taking his turn to speak at the short ceremony, the German Ambassador to Ghana, Christoph Retzlaff said he is proud of the completion of the new Center as he stressed that it is a symbol of the strong relationship between the two countries.

According to him, his outlet wants to offer decent jobs to young Ghanaians which is one of the country’s major challenges.

“What we want to achieve with this center is we want to help to bring more young Ghanaians into jobs, into decent jobs. This is I think one of the main challenges for this country Ghana”, he intimated.

Benjamin Woesten who is the head of the center shared his delight while noting that “it is a manifestation of both the MELR’s and GIZ’s common interest in promoting employment in Ghana and the good faith that we both have in ourselves”.

He added, “Together we want to support the youth in Ghana to shape their future at home and help returning migrants reintegrate into Ghanaian society. To this end, the launch of operations here is a really important milestone for us and the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations and I am very confident that it will go a long way to contribute to the provision of opportunities for the youth in this country”.

At the end of the official launching of the new Center, the GGC presented various IT and office items to the MELR to support the operationalization of the Ghana Labour Market Information System (GLMIS) which will keep profiles of job seekers on a dedicated website run by the Labour Department of the MELR.

The items included laptops, desktops, printers, projectors, a server, air conditioners, UPS for laptops, and many others.

About the Ghanaian-German Center (GCC) for Jobs

The Ghanaian-German Center (GCC) for Jobs and Reintegration is part of the global project “Programme Migration for Development” (PMD), which is commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in Ghana in collaboration with the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations (MELR).

GCC’s objective is to support the government’s efforts at improving living conditions and provide opportunities to enhance job prospects, now and in the future. This entails activities to promote education, training, and employment opportunities. The support is aimed not only at the local population and internally displaced people, but also at those returning home from Germany.