“GHABA, being part of the informal sector of Ghana’s economy has lived up to expectation of generating self-employment for women who constitute a larger proportion of Ghana’s population and who play pivotal roles in supporting Ghana’s informal economy towards its formalisation,” Mr Morgan Ayawine, General Secretary of the ICU, made the observation at the climax of the GHABA’s 50th anniversary celebration in Kumasi on Wednesday.

The participants in the programme

It was under the theme, “Accelerating the adoption of digital solutions in the hair and beauty industry: the role of GHABA.”

The celebration of the 50th anniversary, he noted “is a fitting tribute to the invaluable contributions GHABA has made to the socio-economic growth and development of Ghana since its inception 50 years ago by imparting employable skills to young women and creating job opportunities for the youth making them responsible for their families and the society in general.”

Mr Ayawine congratulated the founding members of the Association for their vision, foresight and initiative that brought it into being and weathering the stormy challenges that confronted them through five decades and successive generations of their executives, trainers, apprentices and graduates that had transformed it into an admirable institution for practical experiential learning in cosmetology in Ghana.

“No wonder GHABA, today, is recognized internationally and there is an affinity between GHABA and some international cosmetology organizations for exchange of ideas to promote their profession,” he indicated.

Realising that the fourth industrial revolution was being driven by Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technology which has been the mantra in Ghana, and also the vehicle for execution of every progressive business in the world of work today, Mr Ayawine urged the Association to see that as very indispensable to all fields of their endeavour.

The General Secretary praised them for taking education as a key component of their operations which “affords GHABA graduates the opportunity to be examined and awarded Certificates and Diplomas in Cosmetology, an indicative of GHABA’s relevance and inclusion in the nation’s educational scheme.”

Mr Ayawine recalled that ICU-Ghana was quite instrumental and played pioneering role in the mobilisation of the informal sector workers/operatives in the country into the fold of trade unions for effective co-ordination, supervision and direction to make the sector more viable.

Ms Tina Offei Yerenkyi, the National President of the Association, explained that, the Association was formed in 1972 by the founding members as a non-political, religious and ideological to promote businesses of the membership.

She urged the members to be tolerant with one another to help make the Association attractive to reduce youth unemployment, as the government alone could not absorb all the teeming unemployed in the public sector.