Bright Wireko-Brobbey
The Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Bright Wireko-Brobbey, has emphasised the importance of Precision Quality (PQ) in the country’s industrialisation agenda.
He said it is essential for the country to adopt new emerging ways to meet standards regionally and globally.
“Precision Quality ensures quality service delivery that meet client’s requirement” he said.
He was speaking at the 2022 Design and Technology Institute (DTI) in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation’s, Precision Quality Conference in Accra, themed, “the Precision Quality Policy Framework: A Building Block for Systems Change and Industrial Transformation.”
He said PQ enhances the integration of young people and equips them to meet industrial standards in the workplace.
Mr. Wireko-Brobbey further noted that the approval of the National Quality Policy by Cabinet will add value to the Ghanaian labour force and raise the quality of local products to meet international standardization.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of DTI, Constance Swaniker said the organisation has been working closely with the National Development planning Committee (NDPC), Ghana Standards Board, and commission for TVET to champion the need for Precision Quality especially among the informal sector.
She said the informal sector form about 80 per cent of the job market but lacks Precision Quality standards which is key to them scaling up.
She said in the last few months DTI has been working closely with the associations to conduct trainings for people in the informal sector at their level of understanding which then opens and leaches potentials for job creation.
Ms. Swaniker indicated that the purpose of the conference was to bring all the different players across different sectors from both public and private together to have conversations on how to unlock potentials for job in this country.
Rosy Fynn Ghana Country Head, Mastercard Foundation, said the labour market is leaving a large number of young people scrambling to find employment opportunities.
She said the lack of a steady income makes it extremely difficult for young people to move out of poverty and to achieve their full potential hence Mastercard Foundation’s partnership with organisations like DTI to train and help young people find work that is fulfilling and dignified.
She said the three year partnership increased enrolment by 52% for the 2021/2022 academic year and broadened the curriculum through the introduction of competence-based courses and in-demand programs including innovation and entrepreneurship to help shape the minds of the next generation of entrepreneurs.
“For us at the Foundation, this is a clear example of what is possible when you are intentional about creating systemic outcomes and galvanizing the relevant stakeholders around a national challenge,” she said.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri & Hudda Bala Abdul Manan