BOSAG seeks support to expand outsourcing sector
The Business Outsourcing Services Association Ghana (BOSAG) has called for stronger government support to help grow Ghana’s Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Global Business Services (GBS) sector and create 100,000 jobs for the youth.
The call was made during a high-level government and industry roundtable organised by BOSAG in partnership with the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change and hosted by Concentrix in Accra.
The event brought together government officials, industry players and development partners to discuss investor confidence, infrastructure, skills development and policies needed to position Ghana as a global outsourcing destination.
The Board Chair of BOSAG, Kojo Hayford, said government support remained important in building a strong outsourcing industry in Ghana.
He said policies, infrastructure and skills training were needed to attract investors and create sustainable employment opportunities for young people. “Government coordination remained necessary if Ghana wanted to compete strongly in the global outsourcing industry,” he said.
The Country Manager of Concentrix Ghana and Senior Operations Director, Ryan Keilloh, said the company had already employed more than 1,200 young people in Ghana, with over 130 workers promoted into leadership positions this year.
Mr Keilloh said the company planned to expand its operations in Ghana as demand for outsourcing services increased. “We intended to continue creating jobs and support Ghana’s position as a reliable business services destination,” he said.
Representatives of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Nana Aba Edzie and Daniel Busscher, said discussions focused on five key areas including investor confidence, skills development, infrastructure, market access and political support.
They said closer collaboration between government and industry under the One Million Coders Programme would help create a direct link between training and employment opportunities. “Political support would assure investors that Ghana remained committed to growing the outsourcing sector,” they said.
Employment focus
The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, said government would work with relevant institutions to strengthen investor attraction and improve market access for outsourcing companies.
He said the One Million Coders Programme had started in more than 150 training centres across the country and stressed that the focus remained on employment outcomes. “The programme was not only about training people, but also about ensuring they secured jobs after the training,” he said.
Mr George urged outsourcing companies to clearly state the skills they required so government could align training programmes with market demand. He also encouraged firms to expand beyond Accra to other regions where lower property costs and multilingual talent existed.
The Chief Executive Officer of BOSAG, David Gowu, said Africa accounted for only 2.8 per cent of the global outsourcing market valued at about US$1.5 trillion.
He said Ghana’s BPO and GBS sector had already created jobs for more than 20,000 young people, while companies such as Concentrix and Teleperformance had employed over 2,500 workers locally.
“We wanted more international companies to establish operations in Ghana so young graduates could find jobs and build long-term careers here,” he said.
The Board Chair of the National Communications Authority, Mavis Ampah Sintim Misa, said Ghana had moved beyond the emerging stage in the outsourcing industry and needed to promote its strengths more strongly to attract investors. “Ghana needed to project a clear national image to support growth in the sector,” she said.