DRAFT TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND ...

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That such a large number of unemployed/underemployed women went to register means that
they were not satisfied with their situation. Their desire to work (22.7%), to develop their
own enterprises (50.3%) and to acquire skills through apprenticeship and other forms of
training (19.1%) shown in Table 3.9 suggest the relevance of TVET and business
development interventions.
Table 3.9: Hopes and Aspirations of the Unemployed Youth in Ghana 2003, Percentage
Options Male Female Total
Desirous to work 41.7 22.7 33.7
Desiring enterprise development 30.5 50.3 38.5
Desiring to continue education 9.9 6.2 8.3
Desiring apprenticeship and other skills training 16.3 19.1 17.1
Desiring to travel overseas 0.7 0.4 0.7
Family integration and married life 0.4 1.0 0.9
Other 0.5 0.3 0.4
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 524,028 378,830 903,437
Source: Nsowaah-Nuamah and Amankrah (as cited in Ghana Statistical Service (2007, p. 75)
3.4 Main Actors (Private Sector, Supporting Agencies)
The main actors in the labour market in Ghana are the four employers associations, the TUC,
and the District Labour Offices. The four employers associations are the Association of
Ghana Industries, Ghana Employers’ Association, Ghana Chamber of Mines, and the Ghana
National Chamber of Commerce. These association together form the Private Enterprise
Foundation. A brief description is given of each of the four associations.
(a) Association of Ghana Industries (AGI); AGI is the leading voice of the private sector in
Ghana. It was established in 1958 and has over 1000 members. It advocates for policies
that will create employment and “proactively dialogues for demand-driven oriented
vocational training system” (http://www.agighana.org). Indeed AGI is currently engaged
in developing a structured industrial attachment system with the polytechnics. Any
attempt to link TVET with industry in Ghana must necessarily involve the AGI.
(b) Ghana Employers Association (GEA). The GEA was inaugurated in 1959, and is the
association that coordinates and represents employers’ interests in labour matters. Its
members include private and state-owned enterprises.
(c) Ghana Chamber of Mines. The Chamber’s membership consists of firms in the mining
sector. The Chamber has interests in vocational training and has representation on the
NACVET Board.
(d) Ghana National Chamber of Mines. Though the Chamber was founded by an act of
parliament (in 1961) it is a private voluntary association of business operators and
industries. It has a membership of about 1,500.
The TUC is a federation of trade unions covering different occupational areas. They
primarily promote and protect the interests of workers but are also concerned about training
and retraining of workers and have participated in TVET policy development initiatives.
The District Labour Offices are government agencies that facilitate meeting of job seekers
and employers of skilled and non-skilled labour. They collect and publish labour statistics and
may provide insights into labour demand from businesses.