AFDB funding expected to create thousands of jobs for youth and women

The Post COVID-19 Development and Productivity Enhancement Project (PSDPEP), with a funding of $31.34, will create a total of 4,800 direct employment and 20,000 indirect jobs after its successful execution.

The Government of Ghana's (GoG) five-year agreement with the African Development Bank (AfDB) is expected to contribute to Ghana’s sustainable post COVID-19 recovery in the health sector and support the restoration of livelihoods, income and employment opportunities and private sector development.

The project's specific goal will be to assist the development of health-related skills in higher education for the eventual improvement of Ghana's healthcare delivery system; and to encourage technical and entrepreneurship for employment creation among youth and women.

A component of the project which will focus on rebuilding youth and women’s livelihoods through entrepreneurship and employment creation will provide sources of income among youth and women for them to recover from socioeconomic shocks or impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals, households, and enterprises especially those operating (MSMEs) that were directly affected by the pandemic.

Additionally, the component will also involve the construction of up to four climate-resilient technical skills development Centres, provision of technical and climate-smart skills training for women, youths, and other vulnerable groups in priority training areas such as agro-industries, construction skills such as tiling, welding, plumbing and plaster of Paris, tourism, creative arts and hospital catering and digital skills.

Another focus will be on providing entrepreneurial and climate smart skills training among youths and women and other vulnerable groups to enhance employability.

The microfinance and small loans centre will benefit through the implementation of a loan Management system to enhance its efficiency and coverage to create about twenty thousand indirect jobs under PSDPEP project.

The project which is estimated at total cost of $31.34 million will be implemented in the seven regions of Ghana namely Greater Accra, Ashanti, Eastern, Bono, Northern, Western, and upper West Regions. Beneficiaries of the project namely staff and clients of the project implementing institutions, youth and women operating MSMEs in cooperatives and the population of Ghana in general.

The Social Investment Fund (SIF), Ghana News Agency, Micro Finance and Small Loans Centre, and the University of Ghana are among the project's implementers.