The Minister of Labour, Jobs and Employment, Dr Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, has announced that the government will soon roll out a national job portal aimed at streamlining youth recruitment and regulating foreign employment offers.

Speaking in an interview on JoyNews on Monday, July 21, Dr Pelpuo highlighted the growing interest among Ghanaian youth in overseas job opportunities and emphasised the need for a structured system to manage this demand responsibly.

“I can see that young people are eager to join the system, and business owners are also quick to claim there are opportunities here and there. We have taken note of all that,” he stated.

A Collaborative Approach to Youth Employment

To address this, the Labour Ministry is partnering with the Ministry of Youth Empowerment to fast-track a national screening system for job seekers and employers.

“We are creating a system through which we can launch a portal that allows young people to apply. We will then interview them, identify those who are properly qualified and capable, and connect them with companies that can support their next level of development,” Dr Pelpuo explained.

According to him, a technology firm has already been contracted to develop the portal, and the platform is ready for launch.

“In the coming days, I will be meeting with the technical team. We are hiring a company that can work closely within the system to develop a portal. They have already developed it, I have examined it, and I believe it is very good. People can access the portal, be streamlined through the process, and then be forwarded to the National Youth Employment (NYE) Agency through the ministry. They will be interviewed, and we will select the types of candidates needed for deployment.”

Curbing Exploitation and Ensuring Protection

Dr Pelpuo expressed concern over the growing number of unauthorised foreign recruitment offers, warning that the government will no longer tolerate unregulated schemes that put young people at risk.

“We’ve gotten a lot of proposals from outside the country and we cannot take people out just like that,” he cautioned.

The Minister emphasised that all international recruitment involving Ghanaian workers must be carried out under legal and protective frameworks to safeguard their welfare.

“We will no longer allow young people to leave this country into the hands of people who will just use them the way they want, to the disadvantage of the young people and to national disadvantage,” he said.

Bilateral Agreements and MOUs

Dr Pelpuo further revealed that his ministry will require formal agreements with all foreign companies seeking to recruit Ghanaian labour.

“I will want to sign a memorandum of understanding with every company that is stepping in here seeking to take our young people outside. And we will cause the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to sign a bilateral agreement with any country that wants to engage Ghanaians and take Ghanaian labour out.”

He stressed that these agreements will include provisions ensuring that Ghanaian workers are treated fairly under both Ghanaian and international labour regulations.

“We don’t like the situation where young people are out there working and they are conceived as slaves or servants when they should be seen as working people.”

Ongoing Talks with Romania

The Minister disclosed that the government is already in talks with Romania, where discussions are underway to formalise a memorandum of understanding regarding labour export arrangements.

The launch of the national job portal is part of the government’s broader strategy to create safer pathways for employment, both locally and abroad, while protecting Ghanaian workers from exploitation.