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The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of General Electric Ghana (GE), Mr Leslie Nelson, has underscored the need for the country to train people who will fit into the job market.

That, he said, would help raise the needed workforce to support economic growth through infrastructure development, especially in the power, healthcare and transport sectors.

Mr Nelson made the call at a youth camp organised by GE-Ghana in collaboration with Junior Achievement (JA) Africa for 120 junior high school students from Kotobabi and Nima.

The purpose of the event was to provide an opportunity for GE staff to interact with and contribute to the growth and development of young Africans in Ghana.
The campaign sought to raise awareness and stimulate interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) careers among Ghanaian junior high school students.

It also provided the young students with an opportunity to gain exposure to accomplished professionals at the peak of their careers.

The objective of the event was to promote key scientific and technological concepts from idea to design and implementation, such as building capability in engineering.

Mr Nelson said as part of the company’s commitment to develop the nation’s human resources, as well as localise its operations in the country, it had rolled out a US$3 million scholarship package for Ghanaian students.

He cited 15 engineering and applied science needy, brilliant students of the University of Ghana as beneficiaries of the company’s scholarship scheme.

He said GE was looking forward to discovering and nurturing young talents and building the capacity of the labour force to speed up the nation’s socio-economic development.

Mr Nelson said training, building skills and technology transformation were key ingredients of GE’s localisation strategy in Ghana.

He urged the youth to exhibit a high sense of integrity, commitment and dedication to duty in order to impact positively on society and stated that students must learn hard for a better future.

Opportunity for the youth

The President and Chief Executive Officer of Junior Achievement (JA) Africa, Madam Elizabeth Bintliff, who addressed the students via video conferencing, said the programme offered the students an opportunity to interact with and learn from great professionals.

The Director of Junior Achievement Africa, Dr William Derban, said the event offered an excellent opportunity to young people in Ghana to work with a fully experienced youth entrepreneur.

He said the youth were the real potential for Africa, hence offering them the opportunity to learn and understand their environment was essential to Africa’s development.

Nana Hawah Seidu, a participant and a student of Ron Brown Memorial School, said the event had enabled her to understand the career opportunities that STEM skills offered.

She expressed her gratitude to GE-Ghana and JA Africa for organising the event for them, and said “I am excited to be part of it”.