The Youth Employment Agency (YEA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with INZAG Germany, a construction firm, to recruit artisans for the construction of the Eastern Corridor roads.
The agreement is to ensure the recruitment of 800 youth for the construction and rehabilitation of the 64.5 kilometer Ashaiman to Akosombo dual carriage road.
The MoU is also to offer a high security and safety standards meant to protect the employees from exploitation through carefully designed welfare and safety measures.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the YEA, Kofi Baah Agyepong, signed on behalf of the agency while the Country Manager of INZAG Germany, Fernando Mariano, appended his signature for the construction firm.
Satisfaction
Speaking at the signing ceremony in Accra November 29, Mr Agyepong expressed satisfaction with the agreement, saying the agency was established to create the enabling environment for the unemployed youth to secure jobs.
He observed that artisans’ work in Ghana had been taken over by artisans from neighbouring countries because the Ghanaian artisans lacked the requisite skills set.
He said the agency had taken up the challenge to change the narrative this time through partnerships to help train more of the youth to acquire the requisite skills for masonry, plumbing, tiling, steel bending, and carpentry.
He said this would enable them to meet the needs of the emerging job markets that offer sustainable and decent jobs for the youth.
Sustainable living
According to the CEO, INZAG Germany would employ the artisans to earn a sustainable living while contributing their expertise to the construction of that major state asset.
He said workers to be engaged under the agreement would have their income taxes, social security contributions and all other statutory payments made on their behalf by INZAG Germany.
He added that protective clauses have been inserted to cater for risks and other occupational hazards that might unlikely occur to any worker during working hours or in the process of discharging their duties.
“Equally we have outlined procedures to provide a proper forum for complaint, disciplinary actions and dispute resolutions in the event such an unwarranted situation occurs.”
He appealed to private investors both foreign and local as well as industry players, public corporations and state enterprises to rely on YEA for their labour needs.