Ghana's Agriculture Sector Skills Strategy
ILO’s Skill Up Ghana project, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway, in collaboration the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH supported the Ghanaian Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) in the establishment of Sector Skills Bodies (SSBs) for the Agriculture, agriculture and tourism and hospitality sectors.
This skills strategy for the Agriculture sector has been devised by the members of the Agriculture Sector Skills Body (SSB) and outlines the current and future skills and labour needs for the sector. It sets out a comprehensive action plan to ensure that the supply of skills and labour meets those needs.
Agriculture is a critical sector for the Ghanaian economy; in terms of the number of people employed in the sector, its role to meet local demand and its export potential. If it is to maximize its potential it is critical that it has a skilled and productive workforce. However, evidence suggests that it lacks essential skills in a variety of occupational areas.
Skills mismatch and shortages are a common challenge in many countries, where applicants and the
existing workforce do not have the skills to meet organizational and sectoral requirements. In response to this challenge, countries have been adopting a demand-driven skills development approach that aims to provide individuals with the current and future skills required by the labour market through more effective linkages between technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions and employers.
The Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) in collaboration with
the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale
Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH has established Sector Skills Bodies (SSBs) for the agriculture, construction and tourism and hospitality sectors with the aim of establishing a demand-led TVET system in these sectors.
To support their establishment, the ILO worked with the SSBs to develop sector skills strategies through applying ILO’s Skills for Trade and Economic Diversification (STED) approach in order to better align skills development to labour market needs. This document sets out that strategy and outlines a range of proposed actions to address the skill needs of the agriculture sector identified through the process by the SSB members.