He said labour migration was one avenue that countries all over the world were making a lot of money from, thus the need for the government to make a conscious effort to explore and regulate labour migration of Ghanaians abroad to protect their rights and tap into the multi-billion industry.

To achieve that, he said, the government must sign bilateral relation agreements with governments of other countries that required Ghanaian professionals.  

Mr Asante said regulating migration would ensure citizens’ rights to decent work, well-negotiated pay and shelter, as well as enable the government to rake in revenue from taxes paid by citizens.

“Today, Philippines is making $30 billion a year from labour migration as compared with our cocoa industry that we say is making $2 billion a year,” he stated.

Job seekers conference 

At the job seekers conference in Accra last Saturday, Mr Asante expressed worry over how many Ghanaian youth were travelling to Saudi Arabia today without resorting to the right course as a result of unregulated labour migration.

“If these travels abroad are regulated well, Ghanaian embassies will have to negotiate on behalf of our citizens and there is always the tendency that they will be paid well,” he said.

The event, which was held on the theme: “Positioning yourself for the job market”, brought together unemployed graduates and organisations looking for skilled professionals.

Organised by GHP Services, a private recruitment agency, it also attracted accomplished business executives, management consultants and employers to speak on the topic: “What employers look for in job candidates”.

The speakers included the Chairman of the KAMA Group Ltd, Dr Michael Agyekum Addo; a pathologist, Dr Ohene Asante, and a marketing executive, Mawuli E. K. Ocloo.

Non-existent jobs

Mr Asante, who is also a businessman, expressed worry over how each year universities and other tertiary institutions graduated many young people who could not secure employment in the public and private sectors.

“We say the private sector is the engine of growth but that job opportunity for our students today is not there, as businesses have not been able to create jobs to employ these graduates.

“So if you have graduates in excess, migrate them and you will get a lot of money out of this, and once people are able to remit to Ghana, you can use that same revenue to create other businesses for those who want to remain in Ghana,” the World Bank consultant said.   

Minimising labour abuses

Mr Asante argued that adhering to the ILO conventions on labour migration would require the Labour Department under the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations to give one a licence and be taken through some orientations governing those ILO by-laws.

“So, by the time one leaves Ghana, the first place they must report to is the Embassy of Ghana, which will have all your details and the government representative in that country will negotiate on one’s behalf and ensure that the ILO conventions are followed,” he said.

The Chief Executive of the GHP Services Ltd, Maame Safoah Bamfo, said the event was more than a gathering of employers, recruiters and job seekers.

“It is a platform for networking, growth and transformation. It is also an avenue to meet face to face with industry leaders to learn about emerging trends and take the next step in one’s career,” she said.