The Communications Ministry, in collaboration with the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing, has taken steps to convert the Public Works Department (PWD) Central Stores in Accra into ultra-modern Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) centres.

At a sod-cutting ceremony to kick start the project on Monday, Communications Minister, Dr Edward Omane-Boamah, underscored the need for the BPO Centres which is expected to "mitigate the lack of  'Grade A' office space and high cost of real estate in the country.

The project is estimated to cost $8.84 million and yield about 10,000 jobs when it starts running 24 hous a day, seven days a week.

Dr Omane-Boamah noted that lack of world class office infrastructure constitutes a major bottleneck for the growth and development of the ICT techno-entrepreneurship  in the country.

”The Center will be one of the several initiatives being implemented by Government of Ghana under the eGhana Project for the take-off of a knowledge-based economy and job creation in ICT and provide infrastructure and business support services to assist export oriented small and medium ICT businesses as well as ITES (IT Enabled Services Secretariat)/BPO firms", he said in a brief address at the ceremony.

The Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) Secretariat of the Ministry of Communications is part of the eGhana Project by the government created to promote the BPO industry.

BPO involves  the contracting of the operations and responsibilities of a company's specific business functions (or processes) to a third-party service provider.

Often the business processes are information technology-based, and are referred to as 'ITES-BPO'.

BPO’s across the world have been recognized as a source of wealth and job creation. According to global management consulting firm AT Kearney's Global Services Location Index (GSLI), India, China, Philippians and Malaysia have a unique combination of talent, cost efficiency and favorable business environment.

In the African region, countries such as South Africa, Tunisia, Egypt and Ghana have been cited as emerging players in the World BPO Industry.

The Minister revealed that the Rockefeller Foundation has provided $3.84 million as a grant to support this BPO Centre, with support from the World Bank.

The project has been contracted to 'MyTurn Ltd'.