The youth in Ghana have been urged to develop innovative technological ideas to compete in the current digital skills dispensation.

According to the Chief Executive Officer of Universal Capital (a financial NGO), Mr Martin Turkson, the 4th industrial revolution required solution-focused skills which could enable the African youth to compete with world renowned innovators such as Internet entrepreneur and industrialist, Jeff Bezoz.

Mr Turkson, who addressed participants at the Ho Digital Job Fair as a keynote speaker, said it was impressive that the African youth had immersed themselves in searching and analysing factors that could create employment and income sustainability using technology.

He touched on skills that were currently in vogue in the technological world and cited several top ranked technologies including Machine Learning and Data Science, which were all demand-driven. He said such skilled areas were relevant to today's market.

The fair

The fair, which was held on the theme: "Creating sustainable employment through digital skill", attracted several young individuals and start-up companies and was designed to create a platform and bring young people and recruiters together to interact on requirements for their employability. It was born out of an earlier phase that was held in June this year dubbed 'The Ghana Tech Lab'.

The training, facilitated by Ho Node Hub, a digital innovative hub in the Volta Region, saw 30 young people acquire digital skills, followed by an incubation and internship.

The Programme Manager of the Ho Node Hub, organisers of the fair, Mr Courage Asase, said the fair was also used as a platform to give job seekers an exposure, create an impact story and provide them with tools for a firm and capable footing in the job world.

He said the world of technology still had a vacuum for Africans to fill so there was the need for young Africans to identify problems in their immediate environment and work towards proffering solutions to such challenges.

According to him, many state and private institutions were not able to break even due to a missing essential technological link.

"We can create our own sustainable jobs with a lot of opportunities available to us," he added.

Employ creativity

He urged participants to think outside the box if they wanted to solve real problems and create real income.

A beneficiary of the digital skills training, Roger Kofi Gyenin, who doubles as an education psychologist, said the programme had been beneficial especially in the era of COVID-19 when virtual classrooms and meetings were in high demand. He indicated that his job was made easier with the skills he acquired from the Ghana Tech Hub.