CWG Ghana has reaffirmed its commitment to building a skilled digital workforce with the relaunch of its technology training division, CWG Academy, aimed at equipping students and professionals with practical Information and Communications Technology (ICT) skills for the modern job market.
The relaunch ceremony, held at the company’s head office in Accra, marks a renewed effort to close the persistent gap between academic learning and workplace requirements in Ghana’s technology sector. First established in 2015, the Academy will now offer structured training in infrastructure, cloud technologies, and software development, targeting learners at various levels of expertise.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony of the first cohort, Harriet Yartey, Vice President for Regions and Managing Director of CWG Ghana, said the initiative demonstrates the company’s long-term vision to nurture young ICT talent and make them more competitive in the global economy.
“Today, when looking for a job, it is not enough to say that you are a graduate of computer science or a related discipline. Our academic journey is often very theoretical, so when graduates enter the job market, they struggle to relate what they learned to what employers require. CWG Academy seeks to bridge that gap by providing hands-on experience that makes trainees job-ready,” she said.
Mrs. Yartey noted that the Academy’s relaunch aligns with the realities of the evolving job market, where practical digital skills increasingly determine employability. “Some students see a server for the first time only when they start work,” she added. “Our goal is to ensure that when they enter the workforce, they bring added value, not just credentials.”
The move comes amid rising unemployment rates among young graduates. According to the World Bank’s 2024 Africa Pulse Report, nearly 60 per cent of tertiary graduates in Sub-Saharan Africa are either unemployed or underemployed within a year of graduation, largely due to limited practical training. In Ghana, data from the Ghana Statistical Service indicates that youth unemployment stood at 22.5 per cent for ages 15 to 35 and 32 per cent for ages 15 to 24 in 2024.
CWG Ghana, a subsidiary of the pan-African ICT firm CWG Plc, said the revamped Academy will deliver short professional courses for those seeking to enhance their technical proficiency, alongside intensive training modules for students and entry-level professionals. It will also serve as a corporate social responsibility platform, hosting national service personnel for a year-long skills-based internship programme designed to improve employability outcomes.
The Head of Projects and Technology Services at CWG Ghana, Oluwaseun Layade, highlighted the importance of exposure and opportunity in professional development. “Everything you have learned only becomes meaningful when the opportunity to apply it presents itself,” he remarked during the presentation of certificates to the first batch of trainees.
For many participants, the Academy represents a valuable bridge between classroom knowledge and real-world application. Raphael Amegashitsi, a computer science student at Central University, described the experience as transformative. “The Academy has made theoretical concepts more real by showing us how systems operate in practice. I have been able to conceptualise different topics faster and more effectively,” he said.
The relaunch comes at a time of growing demand for digital skills across Africa. The International Finance Corporation (IFC) projects that by 2030, over 230 million jobs in Sub-Saharan Africa will require digital competencies, with an annual need for nearly nine million new tech-skilled workers. CWG Ghana said it intends to expand the Academy’s partnerships with universities and technology companies to ensure that its curriculum remains relevant to global industry standards.