Assia Rico and Akwasi Agyemang
Evolvin’ Women, a talent sourcing organisation for women in hospitality based in the United Arab Emirates, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA).
This follows the ‘Women In Tourism Ghana Summit’ organised by the Ghana Tourism Authority, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture and African Tourism Partners on Thursday, June 21.
The summit, which addressed the various challenges being faced by women in the hospitality industry and present opportunities for development, saw over 400 delegates from both the private and public sector in attendance.
The MoU between Evolvin’ Women and GTA is the first action implemented from discussions at the summit.
The Founder of Evolvin’ Women, Assia Rico, said, “This memorandum is a testament of the commitment GTA has to advance women in tourism and hospitality. It is an important step forward because we now have a voice in Ghana to further promote equality of opportunity and achieve our goals through joint efforts and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) #4, #5, and #8 at a higher level.”
Akwasi Agyeman, CEO of Ghana Tourism Authority, expressed excitement about the partnership.
“Capacity-building and training in Ghana’s hospitality industry is critical. We, therefore, see this programme targeting women as an important step in providing learning and training platform for our women,” he said.
Evolvin’ Women is a social enterprise that links hospitality businesses to women who lack quality hospitality training and employment opportunities from developing countries.
Women join the Evolvin’ Women Pop-Up Academy and together with educational partners, they prepare to secure international entry-level employment with the aim of returning to a job in their home countries where they would become contributors to their families, communities and national economic growth.
Evolvin’ Women Pop-Up Academy is a 15-month programme that includes three months of interviews, face-to-face and online training, and a 12-month work experience in the United Arab Emirates.
This would allow participants to learn and apply skills through on-the-job training and later return to a job in Ghana at the end of the programme.
As well as advocating for the advancement of women in the hospitality industry in Ghana, both organisations will collaborate on capacity-building and training by bringing Evolvin’ Women to the Ghanaian market.