Labour Minister calls for education reform to match global job demands

The Minister for Labour, Jobs and Employment, Dr Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo, has called for a comprehensive overhaul of the country’s education system to align with the fast-changing demands of the global labour market.

Speaking at a high-level policy forum organised by the Global Conference Human Resources Africa in collaboration with the Society for Human Resource Management, Dr Pelpuo warned that Ghana risks missing out on growing international employment opportunities because graduates often lack the technical and vocational skills required by overseas employers.

He noted that countries in Europe, Asia, North America and the Gulf States are actively seeking skilled workers from Ghana in trades such as welding, plumbing and shipbuilding.

However, most university graduates do not possess these skills, creating a mismatch between the country’s training systems and the realities of the job market.

“Every week I receive requests from abroad, including Germany, Romania, Canada and the Gulf, asking for trained tradespeople from Ghana. Unfortunately, we do not produce enough of the kind of skilled labour they are looking for. In some cases we have had to train recruits for months before they could take up opportunities abroad. This highlights the urgent need to reform our policies and curricula to match present and future job demands,” Dr Pelpuo said.

The Minister emphasised that the goal is not simply to prepare Ghanaians for overseas employment but to equip the local workforce with the skills necessary to drive industrialisation and economic transformation.

“If we want to move beyond being exporters of primary commodities, we must first transform the kind of labour we put into our economy,” he stressed.

Adding his voice to the call, renowned labour consultant Austin Gamey warned that Ghana’s overemphasis on theoretical academic training was limiting the nation’s competitiveness.

“We continue to turn out tens of thousands of university graduates each year, yet many lack the practical skills to meet the needs of industry, both locally and internationally. A deliberate shift towards technical and vocational training will not only meet international demand but also create more sustainable jobs here at home,” he remarked.

The forum concluded with a consensus on the need for stronger collaboration between government, educational institutions and industry players to develop a skills-oriented education framework that is responsive to global labour trends.