Learning Brief 1: Workforce Gaps and Opportunities for Youth in Ghana’s Construction Sector

Learning Brief 1: Workforce Gaps and Opportunities for Youth in Ghana’s Construction Sector

The construction sector in Ghana contributed 8.9% to the country’s GDP and grew by 11% in 2012. The sector is expected to continue its steady growth and estimates have shown that it will generate one million jobs in the next 10 years. In a country where 60% of youth ages 15-24 are economically inactive, and 16% of those who are seeking jobs are unemployed, the construction sector provides a great opportunity for youth livelihoods development. Developing the level of skills and technology used by actors in the industry has enormous potential for stimulating economic growth and creating jobs. Within that context, Global Communities commissioned a study to analyze sub-sectors within the construction sector that have the greatest potential to employ unemployed or underemployed youth. The study had the following objectives:

Assess construction sector value chains through a youth-focused lens, with regard to opportunities for self-employment and employment, and challenges that mitigate against the growth of micro- and small-scale businesses.

Assess and analyze the workforce gaps across all activities in the construction sector value chain, with in-depth analysis on 16 trade areas.

Overlay the findings of the workforce gap analysis on the construction sector value chains to identify clear sub-sectors and activities that have opportunities for youth employment, entrepreneurship and training.
Read the full brief here.